Pools, schedule finalized for 2026 World Baseball Classic

National pride will be on display when the World Baseball Classic returns in 2026.

The sixth version of the international baseball tournament featuring MLB players will include 20 teams. On Wednesday, the WBC finalized pools and the schedule for the event following qualifiers that took place earlier this year in Taiwan and Arizona.

The 16 teams that finished within the top four of their respective first round pools in the 2023 WBC are set to return alongside qualifiers Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Colombia and Nicaragua.

Here are your finalized pools and schedule for the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic.

The Championship Game will be played March 17, 2026 at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Full ticketing information for the 2026 tournament is available at https://t.co/h4Fi0dLx07. pic.twitter.com/t8q8Nopf4k
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) April 9, 2025

Here is a closer look at the pools:

Pool A (Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico) - March 6-11.

Puerto Rico
Canada
Colombia
Cuba
Panama

Pool B (Daikin Park, Houston, Texas) – March 6-11.

Brazil
Great Britain
Italy
Mexico
United States

Pool C (Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan) March 5-10.

Japan
Australia
Chinese Taipei
Czechia
Korea

Pool D (loanDepot park Miami, Forida) – March 6-11

Dominican Republic
Israel
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Venezuela

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals in Houston and Miami on March 13, which again features single-elimination games.

The Championship round in Miami will begin on Sunday, March 15 with the first of two semifinal matchups while the second semifinal takes place on Monday, March 16.

The Championship will be played on Tuesday, March 17.

Japan defeated the United States to win the 2023 WBC. Other finals include the U.S. over Puerto Rico in 2017, Dominican Republic over Puerto Rico in 2013, Japan over South Korea in 2009 and Japan over Cuba in 2006.