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World Baseball Classic – Who will be the World Champions?
The World Baseball Classic (the name for the Baseball World Cup since 2013) is an eagerly awaited competition by many Baseball fans. It will see the top global players meet to see who can be crowned the world’s best team. In the coming text, we will give you a World Baseball Classic 2026 prediction. This prediction will be for who we think will be the outirght winner of this prestigious tournament. We are going to preview the whole competition, give you some history and look over some of the top contending countries. This should help you when betting on the tournament if it’s your first time looking at this competition or you just want a bit more details about the 2026 edition.
| 🗓️ Dates | Pool Stage: 6th-11th March Quarter Finals: 13th-14th March Semi Finals: 15th-16th March Final: 17th March |
| 🌎 Host Countries | 3 (Japan, USA, Puerto Rico) |
| 🏆 Qualified Teams | 20 |
| 🏢 Organization | World Baseball & Softball Confederation (WBSC) |
| 🌟 Current Champions | Japan (3rd Title) |
Previously known as the Baseball World Cup, the name was changed in 2013 after the 2011 World Cup tournament finished. While it was still called the World Cup Cuba were by far the most dominant country, winning 25 editions. Compared to this, the team in next was the United States who managed just 4 wins.
Under its new format and name, Japan have taken over from Cuba, they have won 3 of 5 tournaments, with the USA and the Dominican Republic winning one other tournament each.
Japan are defending champions this time around having won the 2023 competition, beating USA in the final 3 years ago.
What is the Format?
20 teams have qualified for these finals and they are split into 4 seeded pools of 5 teams each. One pool is to be played in Japan, one in Puerto Rico and two to be hosted by the USA.
From these groups, the top 2 in each will advance to the quarter-finals, where the 1st placed teams in their groups will face pool runners-up. This is followed by the Semis and the World Classic Final on the 17th March 2026.
- Pool A – Puerto Rico (Host), Cuba, Canada, Panama, Colombia
- Pool B – USA (Host), Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil
- Pool C – Japan (Host), Australia, South Korea, Czech Republic, Chinese Taipei
- Pool D – Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, Nicaragua
(Pool D to be hosted in the United States)
Who are the 2026 Baseball World Classic nations to watch out for?
Let’s look over some of the main contenders to win the 2026 Baseball World Classic in more detail.
USA
- World Ranking: 5th
- Baseball Classic Best: 2017 – Winners
- Total Baseball World Cup Medals: 5 Gold, 8 Silver, 4 Bronze
Runners-up last year the United States have a potentially huge pick of players from the MLB but many shunned this in the past. With most of the games in the USA this year and it finishing before the start of the MLB season however, this should be different in the 2026 Baseball Classic. This should leave them with a strong squad. They have a much easier route to the final too as they won’t face any of the top 3 in the world till then.
Japan
- World Ranking: 1st
- Baseball Classic Best: 2006,2009,2023 – Winners
- Total Baseball World Cup Medals: 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze
Japan are the number one side in International baseball and the defending champions. They have made the semis in all of the last 5 tournaments and won the 3 finals they have qualified for. They have a strong squad and take this competition very seriously. They have home advantage in the Pool matches, which will see them draw huge crowds for the 2026 Baseball Classic.
Cuba
- World Ranking: 10th
- Baseball Classic Best: 2006 – Runners Up
- Total Baseball World Cup Medals: 25 Gold, 5 Silver, 2 Bronze
Cuba are the historical big name in this tournament but have struggled in recent years. Baseball’s popularity has dropped somewhat and other teams have got stronger. Despite a mostly home-based squad they have a good chance of getting out of their pool. This is based in nearby Puerto Rico, however if they fail to win the group they will likely face USA in the Quarters in the 2026 Baseball Classic.
Venezuela
- World Ranking: 3rd
- Baseball Classic Best: 2009 – 3rd
- Total Baseball World Cup Medals: 3 Gold, 2 Silver, 5 Bronze
Ranked 3rd in the world and with plenty of players in the MLB, Venezuela will be hoping to go better than their Quarter Final showing in 2023 in the 2026 Baseball Classic.. They will be lplaying all their games in the USA but should get out of a weak pool. However, it’s likely they will then meet Japan or Chinese Taipei so further progress could be tricky.
Great Britain
- World Ranking: 18th
- Baseball Classic Record: 2023 – GS
- Total Baseball World Cup Medals: 1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze
Great Britain are making their only their second ever appearance at the Baseball World Classic in 2026 and it will be interesting to see how they get on. They won the first-ever Baseball World Cup back in 1938. They also have highly rated Seattle Mariners player Harry Ford in the team. They beat Colombia in 2023 and ran Mexico close so they could be an outside shot for a Quarter Fina spot.
Chinese Taipei
- World Ranking: 2nd
- Baseball Classic Best : 2013 QF
- Total Baseball World Cup Medals: 0 Gold, 1 Silver, 3 Bronze
Rated 2nd in the World, they had to go through qualifying to earn their spot in the 2026 Baseball Classic. This was after a disastrous showing in the 2023 edition. They managed to qualify by beating Spain and South Africa but did lose to Nicaragua. They will be desperate to make up for going out in the last time this year.
Puerto Rico
- World Ranking: 9th
- Baseball Classic Best : 2013.2017 – Runners Up
- Total Baseball World Cup Medals: 1 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Bronze
Puerto Rico will host Pool A but they are lightly regarded as contenders for the 2026 Baseball Classic. With many of their golden generation from 2013-17 having now retired they have fallen down the rankings recently. A young team will look to make it out a tough group and then see how they do in the knockouts.
Where to watch the 2026 Baseball World Classic
If you are looking for somewhere for a Baseball World Classic 2026 live stream, then your best bet is to be a Netflix subscriber. This is because they have agreed a new partnership as the only official streaming service to show the tournament.
Fox Sports will be showing all the games live as well on national TV in the USA.
Text commentary and highlights can be found on the World Classic Baseball Inc.’s official site as well if you just want to see how your bets are progressing.
Prediction for the 2026 Baseball World Classic
I don’t think Japan will regain their title this year. I appreciate that they are still the top-rated team in the World and take this a lot more seriously than the USA. However, with this taking place just before the start of the MLB season and it being in the United States for the knockout stages, I think the home fans will cheer the USA onto victory.
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