World Baseball Classic, Italy ready to play its cards in a not easy round
The four rounds of the 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic, the most important tournament in the world among those dedicated to national baseball teams, were made official on Wednesday. Italy, already qualified thanks to reaching the quarters in the previous edition, has been placed in Group B with the United States, Mexico, Great Britain and Brazil.
“Playing in the World Baseball Classic is always a great honor – explained Ned Colletti, general manager of the National Team, which as in past editions will be able to count on several Italian-Americans active in MLB, as well as the best players who grew up in the Boot -, because the players represent their country and their roots by facing the strongest national teams in the world. The 2026 edition will be no less”.
Although it is almost a year away, Colletti is already projected on the calendar: “Brazil – the Azzurri’s first opponent, whose manager will be Francisco Cervelli – has shown all its value in the last qualifying round and will be our first opponent: I expect a very close game. After that we will face Great Britain, then the host team of the United States and finally Mexico. We will have to be ready right away, playing one inning at a time to realize our dream of qualifying again for the second round”.
The Group B competitions will all be played in Houston, Texas, between March 6 and March 11, 2026. Group A, consisting of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama and Colombia, will be played in San Juan, capital of the island of Puerto Rico; Group C, featuring Japan, Australia, South Korea, the Czech Republic and Chinese Tapiei, will be played in Tokyo; and Group D, featuring Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua, will finally see its matches played in Miami, Florida.
The Group B matches will all be played in Houston, Texas, between March 6 and March 11, 2026.
The top two in each group advance to the round, which will play quarterfinals in Houston and Miami. The Florida metropolis will then host the semifinals and finals, with all rounds to be played in a single match. There will be no consolation tournaments or “finals” the third and fourth in each group, along with the quarterfinal qualifiers, will automatically qualify for the next edition of the WBC, while the last of each group will have to play the qualifiers.
