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MLB announced that the World Baseball Classic finals will be held at Lone Depot Park in Miami again this year. The venues for the first round of the 2026 WBC will be San Juan, Puerto Rico for Pool A, Houston for Pool B, Tokyo for Pool C, and Miami for Pool D. The winners of Pool A and Pool B will play in Houston, while Pool C and Pool D will play in the quarterfinals in Miami.
The top 16 teams from the 2023 World Baseball Classic will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The remaining four spots will be decided through a qualifying tournament.
Pool 1st Round
(2 people will advance from each pool)
Pool A (San Juan, Puerto Rico) March 6-11, 2026
Puerto Rico
Cuba
Canada
Panama
Qualifiers
Pool B (Houston, Texas) March 6-11, 2026
united states of america
Mexico
Italy
England
Qualifiers
Pool C (Tokyo, Japan) March 5-10, 2026
Japan
Australia
South Korea
Czech Republic
Qualifiers
Pool D (Miami, FL) March 6-11, 2026
Venezuela
dominican republic
Netherlands
Israel
Qualifiers
Quarterfinals
Pool A vs. Pool B (Houston, Texas) March 14, 2026
Pool A Runner-up vs. Pool B Winner
Pool A Winner vs. Pool B Runner-Up
Pool C vs. Pool D (Miami, FL) March 14, 2026
Pool C Runner-up vs. Pool D Winner
Pool C Winner vs. Pool D Runner-up
Semi-final (Miami, Florida)
March 15, 2026: Matchups to be determined
March 16, 2026: Matchups to be determined
Championship (Miami, Florida)
March 17, 2026: Winners of the semi-finals