WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup: New softball Mizuno M170 to make historic debut at Group Stage

The Two-Stage Format, the new WBSC World Cup competition system, will not be the only novelty in place when Great Britain and Australia leadoff the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage on 11 July in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland. The Mizuno M170, the new softball model to be used in all WBSC Softball World Cups, will make its historic debut in the international scene, replacing the M150 as WBSC’s official softball.

The main change between the two models is the cover of the ball. The new M170 - named after the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030 - is made of synthetic leather. As a sustainable material, its properties eliminate variations in the stretch and thickness on the surface of the ball and in the thread height and width of the stitching, resulting in a ball that is more accurate to manufacturing guidelines.   

The M150 was the official softball for the last three Olympic Games softball competitions: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020. The historic ball was presented in 2001, after the Sydney 2000 Olympics - which was played with the Mizuno M100 ball - and was first used at the X Women’s Softball World Cup 2002 in Saskatoon, Canada. 

The M150 was the first WBSC (then International Softball Federation ISF) official softball with a yellow optic cover and red stitches, which instantly became an iconic reference of the sport.

The Japan-based company is also the official umpire equipment supplier for all WBSC softball events.