- Venezuela was drawn in Group D along with the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Israel and a fifth team yet to be defined.
Major League Baseball (MLB) revealed on Wednesday, August 21, the groups for the next World Baseball Classic, which will be played from March 5 to 17, 2026, in the United States and Japan.
MLB has confirmed that the quarterfinals and semifinals of the tournament will be held in the United States. The quarterfinals will be held in Houston, Texas, while the semifinals will be held in Miami, Florida.
According to the MLB, This will be the second edition of the World Baseball Classic, in which 20 teams will participate. As in 2023, the teams will be organized into four groups with five teams.
Venezuela currently occupies sixth place in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the national team advanced to the quarterfinals, but fell to the United States, which played Japan in the final.
2026 World Baseball Classic Groups
Each group is made up of five teams, four of which have already been defined and one that has yet to be determined, according to the MLB.
These are the five groups that will participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic:
Group A
Selections: Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama and the team that has yet to qualify
Dates: March 6-13
Site: Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Group B
Selections: United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and the team that has yet to qualify
Dates: March 6-11
Site: Minute Maid Park stadium in Houston, Texas (USA)
Group C
Selections: Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czech Republic and the team that has yet to qualify
Dates: March 5-10
Site: Tokyo Dome, Japan
Group D
Selections: Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel and the team that has yet to qualify
Dates: March 6-11
Site: loanDepot park in Miami, Florida (USA)
How will the teams face each other?
The World Baseball Classic will begin its first day on March 5 in Japan, where the first phase will conclude on March 10, while the groups in American territory will play this first instance from March 6 to 11.
The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, whose matches are scheduled for March 13 and 14.
In this second stage, the two teams that advance from Group A will have to travel to Houston, where they will face the two best teams from Group B, while those that advance from the first round of Group C will travel to Miami to play the quarterfinals against the two from Group D.
The semi-finals will be played on March 15 and 16 in Miami, the same venue that will host the final, which will be played a day later, on March 17.
How did the 2023 World Baseball Classic end?
In the 2023 World Baseball Classic edition, Japan defeated the United States 3-1 and was crowned champion of the final of this tournament that took place at the Loan Depot Park in Miami, USA.
With this title, the Japanese won their third championship and are the most successful team in the World Baseball Classic. In addition, the Japanese team equaled the record of the Dominican Republic by being undefeated champion.
The United States was one game away from winning its second consecutive title and tying Japan. This was the first final loss for Team USA in tournament history.
Since the World Baseball Classic began, Japan has won three editions (2006, 2009 and 2023), while the Dominican Republic (2013) and the United States (2017) each have one title.
With information from EFE
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2024-08-21 23:01:45
