The WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup, the top international junior softball tournament in the world, will open on Monday, 6 December, with eight teams competing for the title of world champion. Here’s a preview with historical information of each of the participating squads in this year’s edition.
The U.S. team and three-time defending world champion USA is one of the favourites to claim the title. The number 2 team in the world has participated in all 13 previous editions of this event (all of them U-19), claiming the title seven times (1987, 1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2019), including the last three in a row. USA is looking for an unprecedented fourth consecutive title in the junior category. They qualified as U-17 Pan American champion and last week grabbed the gold medal at the inaugural Junior Pan American Games in Barranquilla, defeating Mexico in the final, 10-0.
For world No. 4 Mexico, it will be the eighth appearance in the youth softball world championship (1981, 1985, 1987, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019). In Irvine 2019 Mexico finished in seventh place, while their best position ever was fifth place in 2015, in Oklahoma City, USA. Mexico qualified as runner-up in the U-17 Pan American Championship 2019, and won the silver medal at last week's Junior Pan American Games in Barranquilla.
World No. 5 Puerto Rico has participated in the last six World Cups (2007, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), reaching back to back podiums in 2015 and 2017. In 2019, they finished in sixth place with a 4:5 win:loss record. During the recent Junior Pan American Games, they finished the tournament with the bronze medal.
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This is the ninth time the Czech Republic has participated in this age group (1991, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), making the top 10 in the last two editions. At Clearwater 2017 the Czech Republic made the playoffs for the first time, finishing in eighth place (their best position ever). Two years ago, the world No. 13 finished with an even 3:3 win:loss record in 10th place.
Chinese Taipei has clinched two bronze medals at this level, in 1999 (as host) and 2011. It will be the 13th appearance of the team in the youth softball World Cup; they only missed the event in 2013 in Brampton, Canada. In the last two editions, Chinese Taipei finished in fifth place. They qualified for Lima as the runner-up of the U-17 Women’s Softball Asia Cup, played in November 2019. They lost the final against Japan, 5-4, and finished with the silver medal.
It will be the 12th time the Netherlands participate in the youth softball World Cup. Their best finish has been a sixth place, three times: 1985, 1987 and 2007 as host. In the last World Cup, Netherlands finished in 13th place, with 3:3 win:loss record.
For hosts Peru this will be their second participation in this competition, after a 19th place campaign in 2017. They won three of eight games played, against the Bahamas, 8-2; Israel, 16-2; and India, 12-1. Peru sealed their ticket to the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup with a fifth place finish at the U-17 Pan American Championship, played in Barranquilla, Colombia, in 2019. Last week, they went back to Barranquilla for the first Junior Pan Am Games, finishing in fourth place after a 3-1 loss against Puerto Rico in the Bronze Medal Game.
For Colombia it will also be the second participation in this age group. They made their historic debut in 2015 in Oklahoma City, USA, in the 11th edition of the event that started in 1981. They finished in 15th place. For this tournament, the No. 40 ranked nation in the world received a wild card to participate.
