WBSC Oceania confirmed that American Samoa capital, Pago Pago, will host the Oceania Qualifiers for the II WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage and the XVIII WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Group Stage. The youth event will take place from 5 to 7 November, while the men’s tournament will run from 9 to 11 November.
Both tournaments will be played by American Samoa, Australia and New Zealand, and will allow the hosts to enter the men’s and women’s softball world rankings for the first time ever.
The U18 Women's Softball World Cup Oceania Qualifier will be conducted in Pago Pago from 5 to 7 November. The tournament format will be a triple round robin with the top two finishing teams advancing to the Group Stage events in 2024. Australia is the seventh nation in the Women's Softball World Ranking, while New Zealand sits in the 23rd position.
The Men’s Softball World Cup Oceania Qualifier will open two days after the conclusion of the first event. The three nations will play from 9 to 11 November with the same tournament format. Both Australia and New Zealand are in the top-10 in the Men’s Softball World Ranking, with the Aussies in the second place and the Kiwis in the seventh spot.
The events will also leave a legacy to Pago Pago softball community, with the American Samoa Government funding the upgrades to the Tony Solaita Field.
This will be the first time an Oceania Softball qualification event will be conducted in Pago Pago. American Samoa is located in the South Pacific and about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean.
