Three years ago, Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to seal Japan’s third World Baseball Classic title. It was a moment to remember. For baseball viewers, it signified the old versus the new. The previous best player in baseball passed the torch to the new best player in baseball. For the rest of the world, it reminded them why international baseball matters. The viewers, the attention, the scenes, the fight, the action, the storylines, all came together to make the 2023 WBC memorable. Now the WBC is back, and the 2026 edition promises to be the biggest and best one yet.
The tournament begins March 5 and runs until the championship game on March 17 in Miami. Twenty nations are organized into four pools. Games will be hosted in Tokyo, San Juan, Houston, and Miami. Over 300 MLB players across 19 countries have committed to play including 78 former All-Stars.
Team USA is a roster built for revenge. Team USA is the clear favorite and for good reason. The assembled American team is the best team that the world has ever seen. The squad is captained by Aaron Judge, the back-to-back AL MVP and clearly the best hitter in baseball. Reigning Cy Young winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal sit atop the rotation. Skubal has agreed to pitch one game. Bobby Wit Jr., Gunnar Henderson, Bryce Harper, and Corbin Carrol round out a lineup with no weak points. The most compelling story is future first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee Clayton Kershaw participating as his last stint in professional baseball before retirement.
The biggest threats to a Team USA championship are Team Japan and Team Dominican Republic. Defending champion Japan will once again participate with Shohei Ohtani, the best player in the world, leading the pack. Yoshinobu Yamamoto anchors the pitching staff. Power bats such as Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto return from the 2023 campaign. The Dominican Republic is a lineup built for hitting. Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Julio Rodriguez, Jose Ramirez, and Ketel Marte make up a batting order that is by far the best in the tournament. They share Pool D in Miami with Venezuela, who also has no shortage of superstars.
The WBC has historically delivered unforgettable moments, and this year’s tournament has all the features to do it again. Whether it is Judge and Ohtani meeting up in a face-to-face matchup, or a team coming back to win a tough game in front of their home country’s crowd, this WBC is going to be one to remember. Games will air on FOX and FS1 starting on March 5.
