Groups, schedule revealed for WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup this October in Taipei

Groups, schedule revealed for WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup this October in Taipei
20/09/2022
China and Nicaragua have been replaced by Puerto Rico and Colombia in the final list of participating teams.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and host Chinese Taipei Baseball Association Baseball (CTBA) today announced the groups, game schedule and the final set of participants in the IV U-23 Baseball World Cup, scheduled from 13 to 23 October in Taiwan.

The tournament will take place in the Tianmu Stadium in Taipei City and the Intercontinental Stadium and Douliou Stadium in Taichung.

China and Nicaragua were unable to confirm their participation in the tournament due to their national COVID restrictions and have been replaced by Puerto Rico and Colombia respectively.

The 12 participating teams in the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup are:

  • Africa (1) No. 26 South Africa
  • Americas (5) No. 4 Mexico, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 9 Cuba, No. 11 Colombia, No. 16 Puerto Rico
  • Asia (3) No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 3 Korea (wild card)
  • Europe (2) No. 8 Netherlands, No. 18 Germany
  • Oceania (1) No. 10 Australia

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

  • Group A: Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Venezuela,
  • Group B: Australia, Cuba, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Puerto Rico

U-23 Baseball World Cup 2022 Schedule

Tournament Format

The IV WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup will open with one game on Thursday, 13 October, when hosts Chinese Taipei face Colombia after the Opening Ceremony at the Tianmu Stadium in the Shilin District, Taipei City before the rest of the teams start their campaign the following day.

Tianmu will host the whole of Group B play while Group A will take place at the Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung and the Douliou Stadium. Tianmu will also host the Super Round and the medal games.

After group play, the top three finishers from each group will advance to the Super Round, while the other six teams will compete in the Placement Round. The top two finishers of the Super Round will compete for the U-23 World Champions title, while the number three and four placed teams will play for the bronze medal.

The Super Round is scheduled for 20, 21, and 22 October, while the medal games will be held on Sunday, 23 October.

Previous Editions

In four previous editions of this event, including a U-21 tournament in 2014, there has been a different winner every time.

Venezuela won the III WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup, defeating the hosts and incumbent World Champions Mexico in the final played in Hermosillo in October 2021. Colombia beat Cuba in the third place game and earned a bronze medal.

Mexico defeated Japan in the final of the II WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup in Barranquilla, Colombia with Venezuela finishing third.

Japan won the inaugural edition in 2016 in Monterrey, Mexico with Australia second and Korea in third place.

The WBSC held a U-21 Baseball World Cup in 2014. Chinese Taipei won on home soil, with Japan finishing third and Nicaragua earning a bronze medal.