The official schedules of the WBSC-sanctioned World Baseball Classic two qualifiers have been revealed. Both schedules follow a double-elimination format.
The first qualifier opens at the Armin Wolf Arena in Regensburg, Germany, on Friday, 16 September.
World No. 26 South Africa will play No. 19 Spain, while No. 23 Great Britain will play No. 22 France.
The winner of the first game will face the day after No. 14 Czechia, and the winner of the second game will face No. 18 Germany.
The top two finishers will advance to main tournament.
The second qualifier opens at Rod Carew Stadium in Panama City, Panama, on Friday, 30 September.
World No. 46 New Zealand will face No. 25 Brazil, while No. 31 Pakistan will play No. 27 Argentina.
The winner of the first game will play No. 15 Nicaragua the next day, and the winner of the second game will play No. 13 Panama.
The top two finishers will advance to the main tournament.
More on the World Baseball Classic website.
All qualifying games will be available to fans around the world on the World Baseball Classic YouTube and Facebook pages, as well as at WorldBaseballClassic.com and on MLB.TV. In addition, select games of countries participating in the qualifiers will be available locally based on the playing schedule, including in the United Kingdom (BT Sport), Germany (Sport 1), Nicaragua (Viva 13), the Czech Republic (O2 Sport), Panama (Medcom/Cable Onda), France (beIN Sport), South Africa (ESPN Africa; ESPN Player) and Brazil (ESPN Brazil).
The fifth World Baseball Classic is scheduled for March 2023.