South Africa qualify for XIV WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup

World No. 12 South Africa became the third qualified nation for the XIV WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup after winning a seven-game series played in Kampala, Uganda, against the host team. South Africa prevailed 4-3 in the series and advanced to the World Cup.

South Africa took the first game of the series on Friday with a 15-5 win over Uganda. On Saturday, the green and yellow team won games two and four, 13-10 and 7-6 respectively, with Uganda winning Game 3 by a score of 13-5. 

With a 3-1 advantage in the series, South Africa clinched their ticket to the World Cup on Sunday with a 13-2 victory. Uganda grabbed the last two games of the series, 20-11 and 15-10.

The XIV U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup will be South Africa’s sixth appearance in the tournament, and the fourth in a row. Their best position has been a sixth place in St. Johns, Canada, in 1997, when the Africans made their debut in the competition. 

South Africa join No. 4 Australia and No. 6 New Zealand - who will represent Oceania, to participate in the next edition of the WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup.

The Asian qualifier for this event will be held in June this year, while the European qualifier will be staged in Sezimonovo Usti, Czech Republic, from 3-8 July. Both events will award two berths in the World Cup. The host and dates of the Americas qualifier, with four available spots, is still to be determined.

Host and dates for the 12-team XIV WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup will be announced at a later stage.