World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) today announced the pool and schedule for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which will be played at LawnDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins in Florida, Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros in Texas, Tokyo Dome in Japan and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In 2023, the field expands to 20 teams for the first time in the tournament's history. The top four teams from each of the first-round pools in the 2023 Classic will be invited to play in 2026, along with the four teams advancing from the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifier.
Pool A will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, which will return to host the World Baseball Classic in 2026 after hosting the first round in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Play in San Juan will run from Friday, March 6 to Wednesday, March 11 and will include host team Puerto Rico, as well as Canada, Cuba, Panama and the winner of the qualifying round.
Pool B at Minute Maid Park will also be in session from Friday, March 6 through Wednesday, March 11. The stadium will host the World Baseball Classic for the first time and will feature teams from Great Britain, Italy, Mexico and the United States, as well as the winners of the qualifiers.
Pool C will take place from Thursday, March 5 to Tuesday, March 10 at Tokyo Dome, which has hosted each of the pools from the past five World Baseball Classics (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2023). Teams competing in Tokyo include the host nation team and defending World Baseball Classic champions Samurai Japan, as well as Australia, Czech Republic, South Korea and the winners of the qualifying round.
Miami's LawnDepot Park, the site of Opening Day Pool D, will become the first venue in tournament history to host all three rounds of the World Baseball Classic in the same year in 2023, then will host all three rounds in 2026, culminating in the Finals. First-round games in Miami will be played from Friday, March 6 to Wednesday, March 11, and will feature the Dominican Republic, Israel, Netherlands, Venezuela and the winner of the qualifier.
Similar to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the opening round will feature pool games at each of the four venues, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarterfinals, again played in a single-elimination bracket.
The quarterfinals in Houston and Miami will be played on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14. Minute Maid Park will host the winners of Pool A and Pool B, while Lawn Depot Park will host the winners of Pool C and Pool D. If Team USA advances to the quarterfinals in Houston, their game will be played on Friday, March 13, regardless of whether they are the winner or runner-up of Pool B. Similarly, if Samurai Japan advances to the quarterfinals in Miami, their game will be played on Saturday, March 14, regardless of whether they are the winner or runner-up of Pool C.
The championship round in Miami will begin with the first of two semifinal matches on Sunday, March 15, with the second semifinal matchup taking place on Monday, March 16. The championship game will be played on Tuesday, March 17.
Ticket details for the 2026 tournament will be announced at a later date, but fans can register now at worldbaseballclassic.com/tickets to receive the latest updates, including how to receive exclusive priority access before tickets go on sale.
More details about the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers scheduled for February and March 2025, including participating teams and locations, are expected to be announced in the coming months.
The World Baseball Classic is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and serves as the sport's official national team world championships.
