Final Olympic baseball qualifier to run 22-26 June in Puebla, Mexico

The World Baseball Softball Confederation today revealed that the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier will be staged from 22-26 June in Puebla, Mexico, at Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán, home of Mexican Baseball League’s Pericos de Puebla. Official practice days at the stadium will be scheduled on 20 and 21 June.

The new dates and location of the final Olympic baseball qualifier follows the decision of the WBSC Executive Board on 20 May to relocate the tournament from Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium to Mexico, in agreement with prior host Chinese Taipei Baseball Association.

“The Olympic baseball qualifiers will have a safe and successful conclusion in Puebla, Mexico, at the home of the Pericos club of the Mexican professional baseball league LMB,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. “Baseball’s ‘Road to Tokyo 2020’ is now set, and for this I would like to extend the deepest possible appreciation of the whole WBSC family to Mexican President and WBSC Global Ambassador Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Director General of the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport (CONADE) Ana Guevara, the State and the City of Puebla and the Pericos ownership.

“I would also like to thank again the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association and authorities in Taiwan for their best efforts in doing everything possible to stage the event there.”

The five teams set to compete in the final Olympic baseball qualifier include Australia, Netherlands and Chinese Taipei, and the second- and third-place finishers from the upcoming WBSC Americas Baseball Qualifier, which opens Monday in Florida.

The winner of the final qualifier will earn the sixth and final berth into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic baseball tournament.

The game schedule, ticketing and seating capacity limits will be communicated in upcoming releases, as they are determined.

Four nations have already qualified for baseball at the 2020 Olympics, host Japan, Israel, Korea and Mexico.