World Baseball Classic

In collaboration with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), the World Baseball Classic (WBC), often known as the Classic, is an international baseball competition approved by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).

The World Baseball Classic Championship Trophy is given to the victorious team. Along with the WBSC Premier12, it is one of the two major senior baseball competitions approved by the WBSC; however, it is the only one that bestows the title of "world champion" on the victor.

Format of World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic takes place in March, which is also when the majority of elite professional baseball leagues, including Major League Baseball (MLB), Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the KBO League, begin their spring training preseason. Venues are found in either outdoor baseball stadiums with mild to moderately warm temperatures in the early spring or indoor baseball domes.

A star-studded field of elite baseball players, especially position players with strong batting prowess, continues to attend the tournament despite the absence of many elite MLB pitchers due to exposure or conditioning limits set by their club employers, insurance underwriting issues, and non-standardization.

World Baseball Classic 2026

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred declared that the second World Baseball Classic would take place in 2026 prior to the 2023 tournament's title game. The locations for the pool play rounds were revealed in May 2024 and are Miami, Florida; Houston, Texas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Tokyo, Japan. Miami and Houston will split the quarterfinals, while Miami will host the final round.

Rules of Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic uses the following extra regulations in addition to baseball's usual ones. If any one of the following conditions is satisfied, a player is qualified to play for a World Baseball Classic team:

1. The player is a national of the country the team plays for. 2. If a player is eligible for citizenship or a passport under the laws of a country represented by a team but has not received either, World Baseball Classic Inc. may grant eligibility upon request from the player or team (clarification required).

3. The player resides in the country or region the team represents permanently. 4. The team's home country or territory is where the player was born. 5. The player has a parent who is a citizen of the country the team represents, or who was a citizen if they passed away. 6. One parent of the player was born in the country or region the team represents.

Pitching

A pitcher is only allowed to pitch as much as:

1. In the Qualifying stage, each game consists of 1.85 pitches (all tournaments since 2013, when this stage was implemented). 2. In the First Round, each game had 2.65 pitches (all tournaments until 2009, when the limit was 70).3. In the Second Round, 3.80 pitches were allowed each game (all tournaments until 2009, when the limit was 85).4. In the Championship Round, each game was 4.95 pitches (all tournaments except 2009, when the limit was 100).5. Even when the limit is reached, a pitcher can still complete a batter's plate appearance; however, they must exit the game after finishing the plate appearance.

Run Differential

The number of runs a WBC club wins may matter if a tie later forms in the standings, in contrast to regular-season play, where a team's victory margin is irrelevant. In these situations, teams are ranked according to their Team Quality Balance, which gives them points for winning with the fewest number of hitters out when they bat in the bottom of the inning and for scoring as many runs as they can.

Who won the 2023 World Baseball Classic?

The fifth edition of the World Baseball Classic, the 2023 World Baseball Classic, concluded with the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship. The match took place at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on March 21, 2023, and pitted two-time champion Japan against the hosts and reigning champion United States. Japan won their third World Baseball Classic victory with a 3–2 victory. The honor for most valuable player went to Shohei Ohtani.

Despite being played at 8 am JST, the championship game drew an average of 5.2 million television viewers in the United States and 62 million in Japan, which accounted for 42.4% of all Japanese households. This made it one of the most-watched games in baseball history.

World Baseball Classic Results by Edition

The World Baseball Classic has had 5 editions as of October 2025, and the sixth edition is scheduled in March 2026.

Ed.	Year	Hosts		First-place game				Semi-finalists
				Champions	Score	Runners-up		Third place	Fourth place
1	2006	United StatesJapanPuerto Rico		Japan	10–6Petco Park, San Diego	Cuba		South Korea	Dominican Republic
2	2009	United StatesCanadaJapanMexicoPuerto Rico		Japan	5–3(F/10)Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles	South Korea		Venezuela	United States
3	2013	United StatesJapanPuerto RicoTaiwan		Dominican Republic	3–0AT&T Park, San Francisco	Puerto Rico		Japan	Netherlands
4	2017	United StatesJapanMexicoSouth Korea		United States	8–0Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles	Puerto Rico		Japan	Netherlands
5	2023	United StatesJapanTaiwan		Japan	3–2LoanDepot Park, Miami	United States		Mexico	Cuba