World Baseball Classic: Start Date and key games

For the first time since 2017, the World Baseball Classic is set to return this March, with the United States of America looking to defend its crown. The last time the tournament was held, the United States defeated Puerto Rico, 8-0, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

"Team USA’s run in the 2017 World Baseball Classic was legendary" - BetMGM

The WBC will feature 20 different national teams from across the globe, and will be separated into four different pools. Pool A will be played at Taichung Stadium, in Taipei, Taiwan. Pool B will be played at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan. Pools C and D will be played in the United States, with Pool C playing in Phoenix, Arizona, and Pool D will be played in Miami, Florida.

POOL A	POOL B	POOL C	POOL D
Chinese Taipei (Host)	Japan (Host)	USA (Host)	Puerto Rico
Cuba	South Korea	Mexico	Venezuela
Netherlands	Australia	Colombia	Dominican Republic
Italy	China	Canada	Israel
Panama	Czech Republic	Great Britain	Nicaragua

The WBC is set to begin on March 8th, with the very first game of the tournament set for 12:00 PM local time between Cuba and the Netherlands at Taichung Stadium. At 7:00 PM on March 8th, hosts Chinese Taipei will take on Panama. Italy will take on the Netherlands on March 12th in the final game of Pool A.

Pool B will begin its opening rounds on March 9th, with Australia taking on South Korea and China battling Japan at the Tokyo Dome. The final game of Pool B is set for March 13th at 7:00 PM local time between South Korea and China.

"Pools and venues for the 2023 World Baseball Classic have been announced. Team USA will be in Pool C with Mexico, Colombia, Canada and a fifth team TBD. They will open pool play in Phoenix. The semifinals and finals will be played in Miami at loanDepot Park, the Marlins stadium." - Kyle Glaser

Colombia and Mexico will kick off the opening round for Pool C on March 11th, with the United States playing Great Britain that evening. The final game of the round will be between the United States and Colombia on March 15th.

Pool D will begin its World Baseball Classic opening round and will see Nicaragua play Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic battling Venezuela. The final game of the group will be between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The quarter-finals will be played at both the Tokyo Dome in Japan and LoanDepot Park in Miami.

The finals of the World Baseball Classic will be played in Miami

Both the semi-finals and the championship game are to be held on March 21st, 2023. The games will be played at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, home of the Miami Marlins.

According to foxsports.com, the United States is the current betting favorite to win the title, sitting at +260. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Dominican Republic (+275) are second, Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan (+450) are third, and Puerto Rico (+800) sits as the fourth-highest favorite.