The World Baseball Classic is headed to Houston.
The WBCI has announced the finalized pools and schedule for the 2026 World Baseball Classic following the Qualifiers held earlier this year in Taipei, Taiwan, and Tucson, Arizona.
Pool A will take place at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, which returns as a World Baseball Classic host in 2026 after serving as a first-round venue in 2006, 2009, and 2013. Games in San Juan will be played from March 6th through March 11th, with the host team Puerto Rico joined by Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama.
Pool B will be held at Daikin Park — home of the Houston Astros — and will also be played from Friday, March 6th and 11th. The ballpark, which is hosting the World Baseball Classic for the first time, will feature teams from Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and the United States.
Pool C will be played at the Tokyo Dome, which has hosted pools in each of the previous five World Baseball Classics (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2023). Those games will be played from March 5th to March 10th. The teams competing in Tokyo will include the host team and defending World Baseball Classic Champions from Samurai Japan, along with Australia, Chinese Taipei, Czechia, and Korea.
LoanDepot Park in Miami, which will host Pool D in the opening round, became the first venue in tournament history to host games in all three rounds of a World Baseball Classic. First round games in Miami will be played from March 6th to March 11th and will feature the Dominican Republic, Israel, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Similar to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, opening round games will feature pool play in each of the four venues with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the Quarterfinals, which again features single-elimination games.
The Quarterfinals in Houston and Miami will be played on March 13th and March 14th. Daikin Park will host the teams advancing from Pool A and Pool B, while LoanDepot Park hosts the teams advancing from Pool C and Pool D. If Team USA advances to the Quarterfinal round in Houston, their game will be played on March 13th, regardless of whether they are the Pool B winner or runner-up.
The Championship Round in Miami will begin on March 15th with the first of two Semifinal matchups, while the second Semifinal takes place on Monday, March 16th. The Championship Game will be played on Tuesday, March 17th.
Full ticketing information for the 2026 tournament will be announced at a later date, but fans can register now at worldbaseballclassic.com/tickets to receive the most up-to-date information, including how to receive exclusive priority access before tickets go on sale.
