World No. 1 Argentina edged No. 8 Mexico, 10-3, in the final of the U-23 Men’s Softball Pan American Championship and clinched the first-ever continental title in this age bracket. The tournament, a qualifier for the WBSC World Cup, awarded Argentina, Mexico, No. 9 Venezuela and No. 13 Guatemala a ticked to the inaugural WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup, set to take place from 22-30 October in Parana, Argentina.
The four nations advanced to the Page Playoffs by finishing in the top four spots in the Round Robin standings, securing automatically their spot in the World Cup. Argentina advanced to the final with a 3-0 win over Mexico, while host Venezuela eliminated Guatemala after a 1-0 thriller.
On the final day, Mexico topped Venezuela in the second semifinal and set up a rematch against Argentina in the final. However, the world No. 1 completed their undefeated campaign with a 10-3 win to clinch the title.
The four nations from the Americas will compete with No. 4 Australia, No. 5 Czechia, No. 6 New Zealand, No. 11 South Africa, and No. 19 Israel in the maiden WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup. Two teams from an Asian qualifier and a wild card will complete the 12 participating nations.
Final standings
- Argentina
- Mexico
- Venezuela
- Guatemala
- Colombia
- Dominican Republic
- Panama
- Peru
