The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), an international professional baseball tournament, is set to be the fifth iteration of the WBC.
World Baseball Classic WBC 2023 : Schedule, Teams
It was originally set for 2021 (as per tradition to hold the event every four years), but was canceled in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was later announced that qualifications for the Classic would start in September 2022, as agreed by Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA).
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host countries | Japan Taiwan United States |
| Dates | March 8–21, 2023 |
| Teams | 20 |
The tournament is being expanded from 16 to 20 national teams, with all teams that participated in the 2017 edition automatically qualifying, plus four additional spots.
In January 2020, the WBC announced the 16 national teams which participated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic will automatically qualify for the tournament.
A qualifying tournament was scheduled for March 2020 in Tucson, Arizona, United States to determine the last four teams.
Twelve teams were split into two pools, and the top two teams in each pool would qualify.
On March 12, 2020, Major League Baseball announced that the qualifying tournaments were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Baseball Classic WBC 2023 Schedule
This is the fifth installment of the WBC and, for the first time, the tournament will expand to 20 teams.
Now here are the pools for the 2023 WBC:
| POOL A | POOL B | POOL C | POOL D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dates |
March 8-13 |
Mar. 9-13 |
March 11-15 |
March 11-15 |
|
Location |
Taichung, Taiwan |
Tokyo, Japan |
Phoenix, Arizona |
Miami, Florida |
|
Teams |
Chinese Taipei |
Australia |
Canada |
Dominican Republic |
|
Cuba |
China |
Colombia |
Israel |
“We are honored and excited to welcome fans to Chase Field for the 2023 World Baseball Classic,” Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall said in a statement. “This event is another example of Arizona’s strong reputation as an international destination for major sporting events.
I am proud that the D-backs will host fans from United States, Mexico, Canada, Colombia and one additional team to cheer for the most talented players in the world.
Our fans created an electric and memorable atmosphere for the 2013 WBC, and I am confident their pride and passion will be on display for the world to see once again.”
Teams
The 16 countries that participated in the 2017 WBC have an automatic berth in the 2023 WBC: Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States, and Venezuela.
The remaining four spots will be decided in qualifying events:
- Qualifier Pool A (Sept. 16-21 in Germany): Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, France, South Africa, Spain
- Qualifier Pool B (Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 in Panama): Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama
Pool play is a round robin double-elimination tournament. From there, the top two teams in each pool advance to what amounts to an eight-team single-elimination bracket. Here’s the 2023 WBC schedule following pool play:
- Quarterfinal No. 1: March 15-16 in Tokyo (winners and runners-up from Pools A and B)
- Quarterfinal No. 2: March 17-18 in Miami (winners and runners-up from Pools C and D)
- Semifinals: March 19-20 in Miami
- Championship game: March 21 in Miami