World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) has officially announced the finalized pools and schedule for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, following qualifying rounds earlier this year in Taipei and Tucson. The 2026 edition will again feature 20 national teams, with four new entries—Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, and Nicaragua—joining the 16 returning teams from the 2023 tournament.
Pool play will begin in early March across four host cities: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Houston, Texas; Tokyo, Japan; and Miami, Florida.
Pool A will take place at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan from March 6–11, marking the stadium’s return to the Classic after hosting in 2006, 2009, and 2013. The pool includes host Puerto Rico, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama.
Pool B will be played at Daikin Park, a first-time World Baseball Classic host, and will feature Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and the United States.
Pool C is set for the Tokyo Dome, which has hosted WBC pools since the tournament’s inception. Japan will be joined by Australia, Chinese Taipei, Czechia, and Korea for games from March 5–10.
Pool D will return to loanDepot park in Miami, which made history in 2023 as the first venue to host all three rounds in one tournament. From March 6–11, the Dominican Republic, Israel, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Venezuela will battle for a spot in the knockout stage.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to single-elimination quarterfinals on March 13–14 in Houston (Daikin Park) and Miami (loanDepot park). Team USA and Samurai Japan are guaranteed preferred scheduling—Friday and Saturday, respectively—should they reach the quarterfinals.
The Championship Round will also be held at loanDepot park, beginning with semifinals on March 15 and 16, followed by the Championship Game on Tuesday, March 17.
Ticket information will be announced later, but fans can register for priority access at worldbaseballclassic.com/tickets.
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