Official: Next World Baseball Classic Tournament Will Be Played in 2026

The 2023 World Baseball Classic has been a smashing success, as the tournament has captured the attention of viewers from around the globe. The tournament will officially return in 2026, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters before Tuesday's WBC championship game.

The 2023 World Baseball Classic has been a smashing success, as the tournament has captured the attention of viewers from around the globe. The tournament will officially return in 2026, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters before Tuesday's WBC championship game.

The World Baseball Classic is “100%” coming back for 2026, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) March 21, 2023

Team USA will play Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic final Tuesday night at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.

Though the WBC has struggled to entirely capture the attention of the American people, the tournament has been widely popular among international fans, and seems to be helping the sport grow in popularity across the world.

One challenge that the tournament faces in the U.S. is its timing. The WBC's quarterfinal and semifinal games have run up against the NCAA Tournament. March Madness always tends to capture the interests of the American people for the last two weeks of March.

Perhaps it might be worth considering in 2023, beginning the World Baseball Classic a couple weeks earlier, before March Madness kicks into high gear.

Still, the tournament has been a huge success this spring. Japan's game versus Korea drew 55 million viewers. Its game against Italy in the quarterfinals drew 62.5 million viewers.

To put this into context, the 2022 World Series averaged 12 million viewers last fall.

Team USA collecting its most-talented roster ever assembled featuring the likes of Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt has also played to the tournament's strengths and pushed the event forward. Team USA's roster in 2026 could be even more talented if America's best pitchers also buy into the tournament.

The World Baseball Classic is trending in the right direction, and it appears it will continue to grow in popularity and cultural relevancy from one tournament to the next.

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