06/06/2022 2 Minute Read

Groups, mascot, schedule unveiled for WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup in Tainan

The hosts, world No. 2/defending U-12 World Champions Chinese Taipei will take the field against No. 17 Italy after the opening ceremony at the Asia Pacific International Stadium in Tainan on Friday, 29 July.

The groups, mascot and opening round schedule of this summer's VI WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup were unveiled today at a press conference in Taipei City, organized by host Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA).

The next WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup is scheduled from 29 July to 7 August at Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadium in Tainan, Taiwan, and will feature the best 12-year-old players and teams in the world:

Africa (1): No. 26 South Africa.
Americas (5): No. 4 Mexico, No. 5 USA, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 7 Dominican Republic and No. 13 Panama.
Asia (3): No. 1 Japan, defending World Champions No. 2 Chinese Taipei and No. 3 Korea
Europe (2): No. 14 Czech Republic and No. 17 Italy
Oceania (1): No. 38 Guam

The 12 participants will begin the global competition -- officially For the Title of World Champion -- with a group stage.

Group A: Chinese Taipei, Mexico, Venezuela, Italy, South Africa, Panama
Group B: Japan, Korea, USA, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Guam

Two games will open the tournament at 10:30 local time on Friday 29 July, with Mexico meeting Venezuela and Guam and Korea facing off.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 6 pm. The hosts and defending U-12 World Champions Chinese Taipei will take the main stadium field at 6.30 pm against Italy.

The tournament mascot today was also revealed, "Dorky", a fuzzy blue bear-like character who will make stadium appearances and look to further electrify the U-12 World Cup.

Tournament Format

After group play, the top three finishers will advance to the super round, while the other six teams will compete in the placement round. The second phase will run from 4 to 6 August.

The top two finishers of the super round will compete for the U-12 World title, while the number three and four place teams will play for the bronze medal. The finals are scheduled for Sunday, 7 August.

The U-12 Baseball World Cup is a unique international tournament. The WBSC is the only world governing body that sanctions an official world championship for this age bracket.

The inaugural U-12 Baseball World Cup took place in 2011. Only the United States (3 times) and Chinese Taipei (2 times) have won the U-12 Baseball World Cup, while Chinese Taipei has earned three silver medals, followed by Cuba and Japan (1).

Five different countries/national teams have claimed bronze medals: Venezuela, Japan, Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba.

Taiwan has hosted each edition of the U-12 World Cup: Taipei City (2011, 2013) and Tainan (2015, 2017, 2019).

The city of Tainan will host the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup for three more editions: 2023, 2025 and 2027.

The current home of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, Tainan Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadium and Training Centers in Tainan, is a first-of-its-kind facility designed specifically for the U-12 age bracket. It was built at the cost of US$130 million and opened on 30 July 2019.