March 2026 is the date for the sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic. The tournament, baseball’s version of the World Cup, has helped spread the game to new places and produced many iconic moments, such as Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to end the 2023 edition. It will surely make memories again, as a record 306 MLB-affiliated players, 78 of whom have been All-Stars, feature across 20 teams in four pools.
The tournament will feature a round of pool play. Then, the top teams will advance to the knockout stage, three rounds of single-elimination games. Four cities will play host to the tournament. San Juan, Puerto Rico, will host Pool A, Houston, Texas, will host Pool B and two quarterfinal games, Tokyo, Japan, will host Pool C, and Miami, Florida, will host Pool D and the remaining knockout games.
Pool A will feature the hosts, Puerto Rico, along with Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama. The hosts are the favorite after being drawn out of Pot 1, but the other teams might be sniffing an upset after Puerto Rico lost its two biggest superstars. Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets and Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros weren’t able to obtain proper insurance. Panama comes out of Pot 2 after obtaining an impressive No. 9 ranking in the world despite a roster lacking big MLB names. Cuba comes from Pot 3 and features the tournament’s all-time home run leader, Alfredo Despaigne, who is also a four-time MVP in the Cuban league. Canada will be led by a familiar name for Seattle fans, as Mariners hero Josh Naylor is set to play first base and help the team try to advance beyond pool play for the first time. Colombia features some MLB names, albeit older, as their roster mixes veterans like Jose Quintana from the Colorado Rockies with prospects like Top 100-ranked Michael Arroyo.
The favorite to win Pool B and the tournament is the United States, who have what can only be described as a dream team. On offense, both participants in the AL MVP race this past season, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, are backed up by superstars like Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals, Bryce Harper from the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong. On defense, the rotation features three of the consensus top eight pitchers in the world, including both reigning Cy Young winners. These are the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes, and the San Francisco Giants’ Logan Webb. Behind the USA is Mexico, also featuring a plethora of MLB talent, such as stars Jarren Duran from the Boston Red Sox and the Mariners’ Randy Arozarena. Then there is Italy, an underrated team led by Vinnie Pasquantino from the Royals and Aaron Nola from the Phillies. Fourth in Pool B is Great Britain, starring Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Yankees. Rounding out the group is Brazil, who are notable for being one of the youngest teams, and include 17 year-olds Joseph Contreras and Pietro Albanez.
The trend of host favorites continues in Pool C. Standing out from the Japanese roster is NL MVP Shohei Ohtani and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, both from the Los Angeles Dodgers. A talented supporting cast, including Munetaka Murakami of the Chicago White Sox, Kazuma Okamoto of the Toronto Blue Jays, and Seiya Suzuki from the Cubs, will help Japan in their title defense. Both other Asian teams in the tournament are also part of the Tokyo group. Korea features some noted stars from their league, as well as some who have made the jump to MLB, like the Dodgers’ Hyeseong Kim and Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee. This is in contrast to the Chinese Taipei team, whose roster is made up of players from the Chinese, Taiwanese, and low minor leagues. One, Kungkuan Giljegiljaw, was unsuccessful in the Cleveland Guardians’ farm system, but became a three-time All-Star in the Chinese league. The other teams in Pool C are Australia and the Czech Republic. Australia is led by 2024’s No. 1 draft pick, Travis Bazzana from the Guardians. The Czechs have the only roster without an MLB-affiliated player. They were a fan favorite in 2023 for their underdog mentality and produced memorable moments, like when the electrician-turned pitcher Ondrej Satoria struck out Shohei Ohtani.
At the forefront of Pool D are some very exciting teams. The first is the Dominican Republic, with a dream lineup including the Mets’ Juan Soto, the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr, the Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez, and Junior Caminero from the Tampa Bay Rays. The second team is Venezuela, also stacked with MLB talent, including stars Ronald Acuña Jr from the Atlanta Braves, and Ranger Suarez, newly signed with the Red Sox. The Braves’ Ozzie Albies and San Diego Padres’ Xander Bogaerts form a talented infield duo for the Netherlands, an underrated team that can turn heads with an upset or two. Israel and Nicaragua round out Pool D, and both teams have some skilled MLB and MiLB talent that will make them tough opponents.
All of these excellent teams will doubtless create some awesome moments to be inserted into Classic legend. But, before the tournament starts, it is all questions. Who will make the most highlights? Will any underdog make a Cinderella run? Who will be the tournament MVP? And, of course, the biggest of all, who will win it all?
