CHIBA, Japan — Following eight days of exciting competition, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) today unveiled the Playoff Schedule for the Women’s Softball World Championship 2018 in Chiba, Japan — where one nation will earn a place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
The original field of 16 nations has been cut in half, with 8 teams advancing to the Championship Round.
Showcasing the global spread of the sport, four continents — Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania — still have representatives in softball’s battle For The Title of World Champion.
In order of standings, United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Netherlands have advanced out of Group A, while Japan, Australia, Canada and Italy have advanced out of Group B.
Eight nations — Chinese Taipei, China, New Zealand, Great Britain, Philippines, Venezuela, Botswana and South Africa — have been eliminated from medal contention but will continue to play in the Placement Round to determine the final standings and allocation of world ranking points.
The playoffs of the flagship softball event will take place at ZOZO Marine Stadium, the home of Nippon Professional Baseball’s (NPB) Chiba Lotte Marines.
Opening Round Standings
Playoff Picture
The Championship Round will be played under the double page system — the top two seeded nations in each group will have double life in the playoff, while third and fourth seeds will face single-elimination games from the beginning.
Headlining the action on Friday, 10 August, the United States will play Australia at 15:30 local time. USA, the defending World Champions, went undefeated to win Group A. Australia advanced as the second team in Group B, with 5-2 record.
Japan clinched the top spot in the Group B — also going undefeated — and will play Puerto Rico at 19:00. The host team beat Australia yesterday in the last game of the round robin to earn the first seed. Puerto Rico finished second in Group A, with a 6-1 record.
Mexico and Italy will meet at 10:00 in the first win-or-go-home match of the tournament. Mexico advanced to the playoffs with a 5-2 record, clinching the third seed in Group A, while the European team beat China in their final Opening Round match to clinch the fourth spot in Group B.
In another exciting knockout game, Canada will face the Netherlands at 12:30. The North American squad clinched third place in Group B with a 5-2 record. Netherlands moved into fourth place yesterday after defeating South Africa.
Championship Round Schedule
- C1 – 10:00 – Italy v Mexico
- C2 – 12:30 – Canada v Netherlands
- C3 – 15:30 – United States v Australia
- C4 – 19:00 – Japan v Puerto Rico
Placement Round Schedule
- P1 – 10:00 – Chinese Taipei v Botswana
- P2 – 10:00 – China v South Africa
- P3 – 14:00 – New Zealand v Venezuela
- P4 – 14:00 – Great Britain v Philippines
The World Championship Finale will be held on Sunday, 12 August, at 19:00 local time.
For full coverage of the event, including live play-by-play, stats and game summaries, visit the official tournament website at https://wswc.wbsc.org.
