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The Cuban Baseball Federation described the exclusion of its team from the upcoming Caribbean Series as "disrespectful" following the change of venue to Guadalajara, Mexico.
“We consider the exclusion of Cuba from the 2026 Caribbean Baseball Series, which will definitely take place in Mexico, to be disrespectful,” reads a statement released this Sunday.
"Although the invitation received was issued from Venezuela, in its capacity as the original host of this edition, it was endorsed by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC), the governing body of the tournament, of which our country is a founding member," they add.
Cuban authorities are complaining that "this entity has not maintained any communication with the Cuban Federation of Baseball and Softball regarding such an important decision, which undermines the established commitments and the plan approved by our country to take it on."
“The change of venue does not justify Cuba's non-participation, which, moreover, deserves and demands respectful treatment, especially considering the sensitivity of the situation for our sport,” they argue.
This week, the relocation of the Caribbean Series 2026 to the Mexican city of Guadalajara was confirmed, which highlights the adverse situation for Cuban baseball, as it is officially out of the tournament due to the forced changes caused by the inability to hold the event in Venezuela.
The Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) announced that the 2026 edition will be held from February 1 to 8 at the Panamerican Stadium, home of the Charros de Jalisco, after the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Mexico declined to attend Caracas due to "external situations beyond their control."
The decision, of an extraneous nature, required a redefinition of both the venue and the format of the competition.
With the new scheme approved by the CBPC, the champions from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will participate, along with Panama as an invited country, and Mexico with two teams that will be the finalists of the 2025-2026 Mexican Pacific League.
In this context, Cuba was excluded from the competition, just like, for the moment, the champion of the Venezuelan league, whose inclusion was left "under evaluation."
Cuba's absence from the 2026 Caribbean Series extends its separation from the main event of professional Caribbean baseball, despite the island's historical significance in the development of the sport in the region. This decision is not based on sporting performance, but rather on institutional and political reconfigurations that continue to impact Cuba's presence in high-level tournaments.
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