Pools Announced, Schedule Locked in For 2026 World Baseball Classic

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will run from March 5 through March 17, with the United States set to start the tournament in the Houston pool alongside Mexico.

Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Team Japan thanks the fans after winning the game against USA at LoanDepot Park. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The next World Baseball Classic was already on the books for 2026, but now the tournament is finally starting to take shape.

The pools and schedule for the 2026 World Baseball Classic were announced Wednesday morning, less than 19 months out from the international competition getting underway. The opening round is set to begin on March 5, while the quarterfinals are scheduled for March 13 and 14.

The two semifinals matchups will take place on March 15 and 16, respectively, while the championship is scheduled for March 17.

Back in May, the WBC revealed that Miami, Houston, Tokyo and San Juan would serve as host sites for the 2026 tournament.

Team USA will start their journey in Houston as part of Pool B. They will be joined by Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and a to-be-determined qualifier. Should the United States make it out of that round, they will face a team from Pool A in the quarterfinals, also at Minute Maid Park – home of the Astros.

Both the semifinals and championship will take place in Miami. The Marlins' loanDepot Park will also be the quarterfinal site for Pools C and D.

Here are the full pools for the 2026 edition of the tournament:

Pool A (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Puerto Rico
Cuba
Canada
Panama
Qualifier*

Pool B (Houston, Texas)
United States
Mexico
Italy
Great Britain
Qualifier*

Pool C (Tokyo, Japan)
Japan
Australia
Korea
Czechia
Qualifier*

Pool D (Miami, Florida)
Venezuela
Dominican Republic
Netherlands
Israel
Qualifier*

Announcing the pools and schedule for the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic!

The opening round starts March 5, quarterfinals start March 13 and the championship round begins March 15! pic.twitter.com/tT5h848dcs

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) August 21, 2024

The 2023 WBC was a big hit, and perhaps the sixth rendition of the tournament could be even bigger. It could end up being a preview of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, if MLB finds a way to let its players participate in those games as well.

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