Groups unveiled for WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced today the groups for the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup, the most prestigious international youth softball event in the world. Played over two-stages, the tournament will start with the Group Stage in 2024, with the finals scheduled for 2025.
A total of 13 teams have qualified for the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup:
Americas (5): TBD
Asia (4): No. 2 Japan, No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 14 Philippines and No. 15 China
Europe (5): No. 6 Italy, No. 8 Netherlands, No. 9 Czechia, No. 13 Great Britain and No. 21 Ireland
Oceania (2): No. 32 New Zealand and No. 10 Australia
Wild Card/Host (2): No. 1 USA, No. 23 Brazil
The line up of teams will be completed after the Americas qualifier, which is to be played in Monteria, Colombia from 30 March to 6 April and will define the last five qualified nations for the premier youth women's softball world cup.
Groups
A total of 18 teams will open the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup in three groups of six teams.
Taking place from 23 to 27 July in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Group A will see No. 4 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Czechia, No. 13 Great Britain, hosts and No. 23 Brazil, No. 32 New Zealand, one team from the Americas and a wild card. The tournament will be staged at the Estadio Municipal de Beisebol Mie Nishi in central Sao Paulo.
Hosts and No. 15 China take their place in Group B, together with No. 2 Japan, No. 6 Italy, No. 8 Netherlands and two teams from the Americas. Action will run at the Pingtan Softball Stadium in Pingtan, China, from 14 to 18 August.
Group C will run from 28 August to 2 September with the top ranked team in the world, USA, hosting No. 10 Australia, No. 14 Philippines, No. 21 Ireland, and two teams from the Americas. This group will take place at The Village Dallas in Dallas, Texas.
The game schedule of the Group Stage will be announced at a later stage.
The top two teams from each group, plus two wild cards, will advance to the World Championship Finals, to be played in Dallas in the summer of 2025, in the same facilities of Group C.
The U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup (previously named Junior Women’s Softball World Championship and U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup), has been hosted on all five continents. The last edition took place in Lima, Peru, in 2021 with USA defeating Chinese Taipei in a 1-0 thriller.
