With only a few weeks until Opening Day of the World Baseball Classic, here is your primer in the first of the Bat Flips & Nerds series of WBC preview articles.
What is the World Baseball Classic?
Think of it as baseball’s World Cup. The top 16 nations from the 2023 tournament automatically qualified for this year’s event, and they will be joined by four countries from the various qualifying competitions around the world.
Qualification is prestigious. Take GB, for instance. First, they had to establish themselves as a Top 10 European team by the end of 2021; then they won the eight-team WBC qualifier in 2022 to get a ticket to the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Finishing fourth in their group of five in Phoenix 2023 kept them in the Top 16, automatically qualifying them for this year’s tournament.
This is a remarkable feat for a country with such limited facilities.
For many baseball players, representing their country is the pinnacle of their careers. Many MLB players from the Caribbean and East Asia would take a WBC win in their country’s colours over becoming World Series champions.
In 2023, the USA showed up to the WBC with a dream team roster, headed by Mike Trout and Mookie Betts. You have to believe that many US MLB stars who had decided against playing soon regretted their decision, especially when the USA v Japan (Trout v Ohtani) final was one of the greatest spectacles ever witnessed in baseball.
The two greatest players of this generation faced each other with the world title on the line.
In an attempt to go one better, this year we will witness the strongest roster the USA has ever sent to a tournament. This is going to be epic.
What is the format?
We have 20 teams, split into four groups. One in Japan, one in Puerto Rico, and two in the USA (Houston and Miami). After the round-robin games, the top two from each group advance to the knockout stage in Miami.
Apart from Shohei striking out Mike, what happened in the last tournament?
Well, as you know, Japan clinched the title – their third – with the USA runners-up. Mexico and Cuba finished third and fourth.
Baseball minnows Czechia, Nicaragua, and Great Britain made their first appearance in the WBC, with the two European countries performing well enough to secure qualification for the 2026 tournament. GB and Czechia were joined in 2023 (and will be again in 2026) by the European baseball powerhouses of Italy and the Netherlands.
Trea Turner led the tournament with five home runs, while Canadian Tyler O’Neill was the batting average leader with .615 (min 2.7 plate appearances per team game). With five swiped bags, Great Britain’s dynamic outfielder Chavez Young was the stolen base leader. Cuban pitcher Miguel Romero recorded the most strikeouts and was a part of the trio of pitchers (along with Shohei Ohtani and Patrick Sandoval) named in the WBC Team of the Tournament.
Who else was in the 2023 WBC Team of the Tournament?
Who are the favourites to lift the 2026 trophy?
Japan is the reigning champion and will again field a roster dripping with talent. With so many Japanese stars having left their homes for MLB money, they will be motivated to put on the best performance for their nation on the world stage.
The USA will consider itself as the overwhelming favourite, and as the only team whose roster has been announced*, it’s tough to bet against them.
*The US roster hasn’t been made official, but all but three spots look to have been filled.
The 2023 USA team of Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Pete Alonso, etc., etc. was the best lineup I’ve ever seen on paper. I’m not convinced this year’s hitters are better, but the pitching staff definitely is an improvement.
The Dominican Republic is spoilt for choice. It appears that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will join Elly De La Cruz in missing the tournament, but just look at the dilemma for manager Albert Pujols of fitting a trio of elite third basemen: Manny Machado, Jose Ramirez, and Junior Caminero into the lineup.
Similar issues face Puerto Rico’s manager, Yadier Molina, as he struggles to find space for Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor, and Carlos Correa. Nolan Arenado, part of the USA’s team in 2023, has switched allegiance to Puerto Rico this year to honour his heritage.
How are players eligible for more than one country?
As you would imagine, it’s pretty convoluted, but basically, if the player is eligible for a passport for the country, then he is eligible to represent that country in the WBC, but it goes further than that. Heritage ties (parent being a citizen of/being born in that territory) are also forms of eligibility.
There are plenty of quirks, and we will see lots of high-profile names on the rosters of unexpected countries. One of the latest players to confirm their participation is Phillies starter Aaron Nola, who will represent Italy. He was born in Baton Rouge (USA) but has Italian heritage on his father’s side (his great‑grandparents emigrated from Sicily).
On the GB roster, we will have Harry Ford (born in the USA, but with parents born in the UK) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. (born in Nassau, Bahamas, which makes him eligible under historical nationality/political status rules).
There is no WBC rule that prevents players switching from one country in one tournament to representing another in the next. Marcus Stroman switched allegiance from the USA in 2017 to Puerto Rico in 2023.
What countries are competing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
When are the games?
The opener is on Thursday, 5 March, when Australia faces Chinese Taipei. The final group games are just six days later, by which time we will know which eight teams are progressing to the knockout stages.
Does Great Britain stand a chance of winning?
Err… no! But that should not diminish the incredible achievement of participating in the World Baseball Classic for the second straight tournament.
In the recent European Championships – check out my Rotterdam blog – GB lost to Spain and Germany. Both nations failed to qualify for the WBC and will be watching from home, further emphasising GB baseball’s impressive feat of reaching Houston.
But, we’ve all seen enough sport to know that in these types of one-off games, any team can beat any other.
GB might grab an extremely unlikely victory over Mexico or the USA, but will certainly fancy their chances against Brazil and Italy.
Realistically, the USA and Mexico are expected to progress from GB’s group, but there were plenty of upsets in Great Britain’s last WBC group.
- Colombia beat Mexico. Mexico would go on to top the group
- Mexico defeated the USA. The USA went on to reach the final
- In GB’s most-winnable game, they lost 18-8 to Canada, with the mercy rule coming into effect
- Colombia, victors over Mexico just a few days earlier, were beaten by Great Britain
Baseball is unpredictable, especially in one-off games. Even the 119-loss Rockies beat the Dodgers a couple of times last season.
And if you think that there is no way Great Britain could beat a star-studded team like the USA? Just remember, it would be way less of an upset than Macclesfield defeating Crystal Palace in the F.A. Cup.
Who are the players we should look out for?
Final rosters will not be submitted until the first week of February, but it will be an amazing array of the planet’s finest baseball talent – Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Bobby Witt Jr.
For Great Britain, you know that we have Harry Ford and Jazz Chisholm Jr., but we are sworn to secrecy about the others. Let’s just say, you can expect a few other familiar names when Brad Marcelino announces his roster on 3 February 2025.
How can we watch the World Baseball Classic?
Good question. In 2023, it was available on BT Sport (now TNT Sports via Discovery+) and MLB.tv, but the rights are still to be finalised. Netflix is showing the tournament in Japan, and Fox Sports is airing it in the USA, and there is even chatter that the BBC might televise some action.
As soon as we know, so will you.
What are Bat Flips & Nerds’ plans for the tournament?
This is a big deal for us. Big Russ Eassom is on location in Houston and Miami, and if his coverage of the last WBC is any guide, expect inside scoops, unique interviews, and expert – and I mean really expert – analysis.
We’ll also hear from other GB fans who have ventured over to the USA to support the team, giving us a real flavour of the World Baseball Classic.
In addition, the website and social media platforms will cover all games across all groups.
Ahead of that, look out for our other WBC preview articles after the rosters are finalised, where we take a closer look at the teams and players who will be battling it out for the World Baseball Classic 2026.
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