World Baseball Classic to be played in March 2023; Groups and Locations revealed
Taichung, Tokyo, Phoenix and Miami will host the Opening Round. The Quarterfinals will take place in Tokyo and Miami, with Miami also hosting the Semifinals and Finals.
The fifth edition of the World Baseball Classic, which serves as WBSC's Official National Team World Championship, will take place from 9 to 21 March 2023 and be expanded to 20 teams from the previous 16-team format of 2017.
All 16 participants from the 2017 World Baseball Classic have been invited to play in the 2023 tournament. They will be joined by four teams advancing from two qualifying tournaments, scheduled from 16 to 21 September at Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, Germany, and from 30 September to 5 October at Rod Carew National Stadium in Panama City, Panama.
OPENING ROUND
The first round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic will feature four groups of five teams for round-robin play.
Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, will host Group A from 9 to 13 March:
Chinese Taipei
Cuba
Italy
Netherlands
Qualifier winner
Group A teams are currently positioned in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings as follows: No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 8 Netherlands, No. 9 Cuba and No. 17 Italy.
The Tokyo Dome will be home to Group B from 9 to 13 March:
Japan
Australia
China
Korea
Qualifier winner
Group B features the current world no. 1 Samurai Japan National Baseball Team, winners of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and 2019 WBSC Premier12, along with No. 3 Korea, No. 10 Australia and No. 21 China.
Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, will host Group C from 11 to 15 March:
USA (Defending World Baseball Classic Champions)
Canada
Colombia
Mexico
Qualifier winner
The highest-ranked team in Group C is No. 4 Mexico, followed by No. 5 USA (Tokyo 2020 silver medalists), No. 11 Colombia and No. 12 Canada.
LoanDepot park in Miami, Florida, will host Group D from 11 to 15 March:
Dominican Republic
Israel
Puerto Rico
Venezuela
Qualifier winner
No. 6 Venezuela is currently the top-ranked team in Group D, followed by Tokyo 2020 bronze medalists No. 7 Dominican Republic, No. 16 Puerto Rico and No. 20 Israel.
QUARTERFINALS
On the 15th and 16th of March, the Tokyo Dome will host the quarterfinal games between the top two finishers from Groups A and B.
Miami will be home to the Quarterfinals between the top two teams of Groups C and D, with games played on the 17th and 18th of March.
SEMIFINALS AND FINAL
The Semifinals and Finals will be held from 19 to 21 March and are also scheduled in Miami, making LoanDepot park the first venue to host games in all three rounds of one edition of the World Baseball Classic.
