The organizers of the World Baseball Classic announced on Wednesday the groups for the sixth edition in March 2026, and one interesting detail is that Cuba will not be in the Asia pool and will have to make its way in America, specifically in Puerto Rico.
The largest of the Antilles, runner-up in 2006 and semifinalist in 2023, will compete in Group A, alongside the host team, Canada, and Panama, with one spot remaining to be filled from the qualifying tournaments.
In the past, the inclusion of the island in the Asian sections always caused controversy, and it seems that the organizers of the event took note and changed the dynamics of the last editions.
Group B, which will take place in Texas, includes the teams from the United States, the host and reigning runner-up, Mexico, Italy, and Great Britain.
Japan, three-time winner of the tournament, will host the matches in Group C, alongside South Korea, Australia, and the Czech Republic, while in Group D, based in Miami, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, and Israel will compete.
It is worth repeating that the last four title contenders are yet to be defined, which will increase the number of tenants in each segment to five. This will be the second edition of the event with 20 countries, after the number of participating teams was expanded in 2023.
The organizers, namely the office of the Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), revealed that the two best teams from each group will advance to the next round.
The quarter-finals, again in a single elimination format, will take place in the American cities of Houston and Miami, while the semi-finals and the gold match will occur at the magnificent facility of La Pequeña Habana, just as it did in the previous tournament.
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