The 2026 World Baseball Classic is set to begin in one month, with the tournament’s rosters for all 20 participating teams scheduled to be announced on MLB Network at 7 p.m. ET this Thursday. The full 30-man rosters for each team will be revealed during the broadcast.
The tournament, now in its sixth edition, will start on March 5 at the Tokyo Dome with a matchup between Chinese Taipei and Australia. In the United States, this game will air on March 4 at 10 p.m. ET. Other pools will commence play on March 6 at venues including Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Daikin Park in Houston; and loanDepot park in Miami.
Tickets for individual games are currently available for purchase.
In the United States, fans can watch or stream World Baseball Classic games through FOX Media platforms such as FOX, FS1, FS2, the FOX Sports App, FOX One and Tubi. Japanese-language broadcasts will be accessible via Netflix in Japan. Additional details about international viewing options are expected soon.
The competition format consists of four pools—Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami—each featuring five teams playing round-robin games. The top two teams from each pool advance to the quarterfinals. Teams advancing from Tokyo move to Miami for their next games while those from San Juan proceed to Houston. Semifinals and championship rounds take place in Miami, with the final scheduled for March 17.
Qualification for this year’s event was determined by performance in the previous tournament: The top four teams from each pool in 2023 automatically qualified for 2026. Last-place finishers had to compete in qualifying rounds held earlier this year; Chinese Taipei and Nicaragua advanced from Taipei Qualifier while Colombia and Brazil moved forward from Tucson Qualifier.
Several high-profile players have already committed to participate barring injury concerns: “2023 World Baseball Classic MVP Shohei Ohtani is back, Salvador Perez will guide Venezuela, the Dominican Republic roster is stacked with Major League stars and the United States are trying to bounce back from its 2023 second-place finish with a veritable who’s who of big league superstars.” Complete roster information will become available after Thursday night’s reveal show.
For the first time in tournament history, a pitch clock following Major League rules will be used: pitchers have 15 seconds between pitches with bases empty and 18 seconds when runners are on base; batters must be ready with at least eight seconds remaining on the clock. The Automatic Ball-Strike System (ABS) will not be implemented during this event.
Pitcher usage limits include a maximum of 65 pitches per game during First Round play, increasing to 80 pitches for Quarter Finals and up to 95 pitches during Championship Round contests—with exceptions made only to complete an ongoing plate appearance. Pitchers throwing at least 50 pitches must rest four days before pitching again; those throwing more than 30 require one day off; consecutive-day appearances also mandate a day of rest before returning.
Mercy rules apply: Games end if a team leads by ten or more runs after seven innings or fifteen runs after five innings during First Round or Quarterfinals.
Tiebreaker procedures remain similar to previous tournaments where all five teams tied records required resolution through established criteria.
Top-four finishers from each pool automatically qualify for future tournaments while last-place teams face relegation requiring them to re-qualify later.
Additional storylines are expected as rosters are finalized and matchups approach closer to opening day. More updates can be found at WorldBaseballClassic.com or via @wbcbaseball social media accounts.
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