World Baseball Classic 2026 schedule, Pools, dates, Venue, TV Channel

2026 World Baseball Classic pools, venues, locations and schedule dates revealed: Here are all the details.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is starting to take shape.

The international baseball tournament is set to return in two years, and the participating countries and host stadiums are now officially locked in.

When is the 2026 World Baseball Classic? 

The upcoming WBC tournament will be held from March 6-17, 2026, with MLB players excused from spring training to play in the event.

Where to Watch the World Baseball Classic 2026?

In the United States, the 2026 World Baseball Classic games will be televised and streamed across FOX Sports networks and platforms, including FOX, FS1, FS2, the FOX Sports App, FOX One, and Tubi. In Japan, all games will be available exclusively on Netflix. 

 

United States:

TV Channels: Games will air on FOX, FS1, and FS2.

Streaming: All games can be streamed on the FOX Sports App, FOX One, and Tubi.

Spanish-language:

FOX Deportes will broadcast 28 games, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the championship game.

Japan:

Streaming: All 47 games of the tournament will be available live and on-demand exclusively on Netflix

Where is the 2026 World Baseball Classic taking place?

As it has since the inaugural WBC in 2006, the 2026 edition will be played across the globe. Four stadiums will host games throughout the tournament:

Pool A: Hiram Bithorn Stadium -- San Juan, Puerto Rico

Pool B: Minute Maid Park -- Houston, Texas

Pool C: Tokyo Dome -- Tokyo, Japan

Pool D: loanDepot Park -- Miami, Florida

Quarterfinals: Houston and Miami

Semifinals: Miami

Championship: Miami

What are the pools for the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

There are four pools for the tournament, with specific groups for each country announced on Wednesday. Here's how it's split up:

Pool A -- Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, TBD qualifier

Pool B -- United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, TBD qualifier

Pool C  --  Japan, Australia, Korea, Czechia, TBD qualifier

Pool D -- Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, TBD qualifier

World Baseball Classic 2026 schedule dates.

The 16 teams that placed among the top four of their groups in the 2023 World Baseball Classic had already been seeded. With the addition of the qualifiers, the final composition of the four groups is as follows:

Group A – Tokyo, Japan (March 5–10)

Japan (No. 1)

Australia (No. 11)

Czechia (No. 15)

Korea (No. 6)

Chinese Taipei (No. 2)

Group B – San Juan, Puerto Rico (March 6–11)

Puerto Rico (No. 9)

Canada (No. 22)

Cuba (No. 10)

Panama (No. 8)

Colombia (No. 13)

Group C – Houston, Texas, USA (March 6–11)

USA (No. 5)

Great Britain (No. 18)

Italy (No. 14)

Mexico (No. 4)

Brazil (No. 23)

Group D – Miami, Florida, USA (March 6–11)

Dominican Republic (No. 11)

Israel (No. 19)

Netherlands (No. 7)

Venezuela (No. 3)

Nicaragua (No. 16)

Who won the last World Baseball Classic?

Japan defeated the United States  as Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to end the 2023 World Baseball Classic final by a score of 3-2. Shohei Ohtani was named MVP of the tournament. 

Japan claimed its third WBC title (2006, 2009). The Dominican Republic (2013) and United States (2017) are the only other nations to win the WBC.

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