The Superior Baseball Commission of Nicaragua (CNBS, Comisión Nicaragüense de Béisbol Superior) announced a change of format of the Germán Pomares Championship in 2025.
The new format by the Nicaragua Institute of Sports (IND, Instituto Nicaragüense de Deportes) will include three phases.
The 20 franchises will participate in the first phase. The teams will face each other four times in seven-inning games during weekends. The top four finishers will play the best-of-five semifinals, and the winners will compete in the best-of-five final. The semifinal and final series will consist of nine-inning games. The 25-player rosters will include eight from the U-23 category, two of which will be mandatory in the lineups.
The top eight finishers of the first phase will compete in the second phase. Teams will face each other four times in nine-inning games on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. After playing 28 games, the top four teams will advance to the best-of-five semifinals. The winners will play the best-of-five final. The eight teams participating in the second phase will have the right to draft four players from the 12 eliminated teams. The 25-player rosters will have to include six from the U-23 category.
The 12 teams eliminated from the second phase will compete in a U-25 third phase. The participants will split into two groups. The first and second-place teams of each group will play the best-of-five semifinals, and the winners will compete in the best-of-five final. The 25-player rosters will include 12 from the U-21 category.
"We needed a change of format," the Nicaraguan Baseball Federation (FENIBA) stated in a release. The second phase aims to create more development opportunities and a better level of competition. Our ultimate goal is to see our National Teams improve in WBSC competitions."
The 2024 season of the Pomares National Championship opened in February.
