The groups and schedule for the Baseball5 Asia Cup have been released today. The tournament, a qualifier for the maiden WBSC Baseball5 World Cup, will be organized by the WBSC Asia Baseball5 Commission and will feature teams from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, host Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei and Thailand. The three medallists in the Asian Championship will earn a ticket to the World Cup, to be staged in Mexico City from 7-13 November.
The nine participating teams will open the tournament in three different groups:
- Group A: Korea, Malaysia, Thailand
- Group B: Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines
- Group C: Pakistan, Singapore, Chinese Taipei
The group stage will take place entirely on 17 August, with the top two teams in each group moving to the Super Round, to be played on 18 August. On 19 August, the semifinals and finals will crown the first-ever Baseball5 Asian champions.
The top three teams in the final standings will join Mexico, France, Lithuania, South Africa, Kenya and Australia in the first-ever Baseball5 World Cup with three remaining teams to come from the Americas.
The WBSC will be also hosting a pre-tournament seminar for game officials on 15 and 16 August with the aim of further supporting and developing tournament and continental officials.
The inaugural WBSC Baseball5 World Cup -- a mixed gender competition -- will be held at El Zocalo, one of the most iconic, historic and visited places in Mexico City.
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