26/11/2022 - 04/12/2022

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XVII Men's Softball World Cup 2022 - Official Payoff

WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup - Group B: 22 combined medals, 5 golds

WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup - Group B: 22 combined medals, 5 golds
23/11/2022
Four teams in the group have medalled before in the tournament, with Canada (13), Australia (4), Japan (3) and Venezuela (2) combining for 22 medals (five of them golden).

With every team having at least appeared two times (Cuba) up to featuring in all previous editions (16 - Canada, Japan, New Zealand, USA) of the XVII WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup, every nation has played a role in the tournament’s 56-year rich history. Let’s check some historical information of each participating team of Group B in the XVII WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup.

Group B teams combine for 68 participations in the tournament, including Canada and Japan that have played every edition of the competition. Four teams in the group have medalled before in the tournament, with Canada (13), Australia (4), Japan (3) and Venezuela (2) combining for 22 medals (five of them golden). The Canadians are tied with New Zealand as the top medal-winning countries, with 13. 

For comparison, Group A boasts 23 medals (New Zealand (13), USA (9) and Argentina (1)) and 63 appearances in previous editions.

Built on the success of the Junior Men’s programme, and coming from a silver medal run in 2019, Japan come to New Zealand with high expectations. The Japanese squad is trying to bring home their first-ever world championship, after losing the two finals they have played: in 2000 against New Zealand and 2019 against Argentina. They have played in all the 16 previous World Championship, winning three medals (they earned bronze in 1996).

After missing the first World Championship in 1966, Canada has played 15 consecutive events and always have made the playoffs. It’s the longest streak ever, and they will try to keep it alive in Auckland. The four-time world champions are in the hunt for their 14th medal ever. The only two times Canada didn’t win a medal were in 2000 in East London, South Africa, and 2013 at Rosedale Park, in Auckland. They clinched the bronze medal in the last World Cup.

Australia made their first appearance in the tournament in 1988, with a seventh-place finish, and 21 years later they claimed their first and only World Championship in Saskatoon, Canada, with an unforgettable performance by Adam Folkard, who pitched a no-hitter against New Zealand in the World Championship Final. The Aussies have clinched a medal four times, a silver in Whitehorse 2015 and a pair of bronzes 2004 and 2013, both in New Zealand. 

The wild card to participate in the tournament was awarded to Venezuela, which won their only two medals in 2013 and 2015 when they clinched the silver and bronze medal respectively. Venezuela was one of the 11 teams that participated in the first edition of the World Cup in Mexico City, in 1966, but didn’t return until 1996. Since then, they have participated in the last eight World Cups, making the playoffs in the latest five editions of the tournament. 

Denmark was the first European nation to participate in the Men’s Softball World Cup, in 1988 and the 2022 edition will be their eighth appearance. The ninth place finish in Prague 2019 was their best performance ever, improving on the 11th place earned in 2000. The Danish National Team aims to make the playoffs for the first time in history. 

The winners of the last African Championship, South Africa will participate in its 11th World Cup. They played for the first time in 1968 in Oklahoma City, finishing in ninth place. In 1996 they advanced to the playoffs and finished in eighth place, in their first and only participation in the championship round of the tournament. However, they couldn’t match the seventh place obtained in Lower Hutt in 1976, their best-finish ever in the World Cup.