2025 Year in Review: A milestone year showcasing softball’s strength, talent and worldwide appeal
The 2025 season will be remembered as one of the most significant in the history of softball, marked by extraordinary performances, global milestones, and strong competitive spirit across all disciplines.
Three Softball World Champions were crowned - Japan, USA and Venezuela sharing the spoils - while The World Games Chengdu 2025, the Pacific Mini Games, Bolivarian Games and the SEA Games once again showcased the sport on some of the world’s most prestigious multi-sport stages.
With the announcement in August that Brisbane, Australia will host the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2027, there is also plenty to get excited about in the future, especially in the build up to the LA28 Olympic Games.
Women's Softball: The future is now
With the LA28 Olympic Games approaching, women’s softball continues to show remarkable growth and depth. The 2025 season featured two youth world championships - the U-15 and U-18 Women’s Softball World Cups - each delivering impressive talent and memorable storylines.
Japan, U-15 Women's Softball World Champions
Japan claimed their first WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup title in Caronno Pertusella, Italy, behind an extraordinary pitching performance as a team. Japan allowed only one run in nine games, for a 0.12 earned run average (ERA).
In a surprise result on Day 3 of the Super Round, Puerto Rico defeated USA, 4-0, and qualified for the World Championship Final. The day before, Japan became the first finalists after beating USA, 3-2.
It was the first-ever win for Puerto Rico against USA in international softball. The North Americans hadn't missed a Women’s Softball World Cup Final since the WBSC U-19 Women's Softball World Cup 1985.
Additionally, Puerto Rico is the only National Team to feature in the final of the 2023 and 2025 editions of the WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup, losing both finals against USA and Japan respectively.
In the final, Japan defeated Puerto Rico, 4-0, to win the WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup 2025 in Caronno Pertusella, Italy on Saturday. Starting pitcher Haru Kitamura retired the first 18 batters she faced, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning. She then allowed a walk and a single, before ending the game with her 12th strikeout.
Mioka Mochizuki, Japan's superstar at first base, was named the Most Valuable Player at the WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup 2025.
USA extend their U-18 Women's Softball World Cup dynasty
USA's dominant run at the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup wrote a new chapter at Devon Park, in Oklahoma City, with the host team defeating Japan in the final, 7-2, to claim the world championship.
USA secured a record-setting fifth consecutive world championship in this category, and the ninth overall. They currently boast a 48-game winning streak, having gone undefeated to claim the last four world titles.
This final marked the 12th time Japan and USA faced each other for the title in the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup. With this victory, USA have now claimed seven victories against their biggest rivals.
USA remain the only nation to reach the podium in every edition of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup, with 15 medals to their name - nine gold, five silver, and one bronze. Japan will also be celebrating their 14th podium finish; the only edition they missed was 2021.
Mexico also made history. Behind a stellar all-around performance from Analia Lopez, the Mexican team defeated China, 4-2, to capture the bronze medal at the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2025 in Oklahoma City. It marks the nation’s first-ever medal in any Women’s Softball World Cup.
USA catcher Juliana Hutchens was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2025, leading all players in batting average (.778), RBIs (8) and home runs (2) across six games (final excluded).
Japan’s Shion Yamamoto also had a remarkable tournament, claiming two pitching awards. The 15-year-old right-hander led the competition in ERA (0.44) and wins (3).
The Finals in Oklahoma City marked the conclusion of the two-stage World Cup, which started in 2024 with the Group Stage played in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Pingtan, China; and Dallas, USA.
Men's Softball World Cup: A spectacular Final
Prince Albert, Canada hosted one of the most anticipated WBSC Men’s Softball World Cups in history, featuring the top eight nations in the world in a dramatic and high-calibre showcase.
Venezuela defeated New Zealand, 3-0, and won the country's first ever WBSC Men's Softball World Cup title. After the tournament, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro extended his congratulations to the Men's National Softball Team following the historic triumph, and received the team at the Miraflores Palace, the office of the President in Venezuela.
The 2025 final marked Venezuela’s second experience of a World Championship Final, following their previous appearance in 2013. On this occasion, 12 years ago, they lost to New Zealand, 4-1, and claimed the sliver medal.
For New Zealand, it was their 11th appearance in a World Championship Final. They have won the final game six times (1984, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2013, and 2017), and have finished runners-up in five editions (1988, 1992, 2009, 2015 and 2025). In 1976, they shared the gold medal with Canada and USA, as the playoffs couldn’t be completed.
USA claimed the bronze medal with a solid 10-1 win against Japan in the last day of the tournament. This medal represents the second consecutive bronze medal for USA in the premiere men's softball tournament and fifth overall - the most bronze medals won by any nation. It's also their 11th medal overall - (behind Canada (14), and New Zealand (13) - in the history of the programme, featuring five world titles and one silver.
The event in Prince Albert was the culmination of the two-stage World Cup, after playing the Group Stage in 2024 in Hermosillo, Mexico; Prince Albert, Canada; and Oklahoma City, USA.
Softball shines at The World Games
Softball made headlines at The World Games 2025, where men’s softball debuted for the first time in a truly global multi-sport event. While the sport has long appeared in the Asian Games and Pan American Games, its inclusion in Chengdu represented a historic milestone.
Men's event
Japan and USA were both awarded the gold medal at The World Games Men's Softball competition after the medal games were cancelled due to rain. Canada and Venezuela earned the bronze medal. The rain was relentless in Chengdu during the early hours of finals day, forcing the cancellation of the two medal games scheduled.
For the Japan men's team, the gold medal marks their first title in a major international competition, after losing both of their previous World Cup finals in 2019 and 2000. For USA, the title was also a milestone - their first championship in a major international men’s softball event since 1988 in Saskatoon, Canada.
Venezuela’s medal completed a remarkable summer in which they also won the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2025/2026 in Prince Albert the month before.
Japan’s ace Hiroki Ikeda has been named the Most Valuable Player
Women's event
In the women's event, USA defeated Chinese Taipei, 5-0, behind a shutout performance by Megan Faraimo to clinch their fourth consecutive gold medal at The World Games.
For Chinese Taipei, this tournament marks their second silver medal at a major event, after placing runner-up at the 1982 WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup on home soil.
Japan won the bronze medal with an 11-1 win against Canada.
USA shortstop Tiare Jennings was named Most Valuable Player of The World Games Women’s Softball tournament after delivering an all-around standout performance in Chengdu.
Softball took centre stage at the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games Thailand 2025 on Monday, as both the men's and women's tournaments began at Her Majesty Queen Sirikit 60th Birthday Anniversary Stadium in Bangkok.
Following the conclusion of the baseball competition on Friday, the venue was being transformed into a fully equipped softball field to host nine teams across the two tournaments competing for gold from 15 to 19 December.
With Baseball and Baseball5 already completed, the two softball competitions complete the full treble of WBSC disciplines featured in the SEA Games programme - marking the first time four WBSC disciplines appear together in a multi sports event since the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.
Meanwhile, World No. 15 Venezuela completed an undefeated campaign to capture the gold medal in the Women’s Softball competition at the Bolivarian Games in Lima, Peru, defeating the hosts in the final in November and the Dominican Republic earned the bronze medal ahead of Bolivia while American Samoa defeated Guam in the women's softball final at the Pacific Mini Games in July to celebrate their first ever title in international softball. Papua New Guinea came third ahead of hosts Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia, Mariana Islands and Marshall Islands finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.