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Albert Pujols Returning to World Baseball Classic in 2026 As a Manager

Albert Pujols is fresh off his first title as a manager, and will look to keep his winning ways going.

Tyler Lauletta

Albert Pujols walks the field during the game between Venezuela and Dominican Republic.
Albert Pujols walks the field during the game between Venezuela and Dominican Republic. / Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images
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Albert Pujols is ready to chase another title.

According to multiple reports on Friday, Pujols is set to return to the World Baseball Classic in 2026 as a member of the Dominican Republic squad—this time as the team’s manager.

Pujols should slot nicely into the role, as he is fresh off of his first championship as a manager, leading Leones del Escogido to a title in the Dominican League earlier this year.

The Dominican Republic won the 2013 World Baseball Classic, but have come away with disappointing results in the past two playings of the tournament, going 2–2 in the group stage in 2023 and failing to reach the knockout round.

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Tyler Lauletta
TYLER LAULETTA

Tyler Lauletta is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News Team/team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI, he covered sports for nearly a decade at Business Insider, and helped design and launch the OffBall newsletter. He is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and remains an Eagles and Phillies sicko. When not watching or blogging about sports, Tyler can be found scratching his dog behind the ears.

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