Groups confirmed for WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2026

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has officially announced the groups for the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2026, setting the stage for another thrilling edition of international baseball’s premier U-23 tournament.

Twelve of the world’s top-ranked nations will compete in Nicaragua from 6-15 November with global powerhouses and rising contenders evenly distributed across two highly competitive Opening Round groups.

Group A features World No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 7 Puerto Rico, No. 8 Panama, No. 11 Australia, No. 15 Czechia and No. 16 Nicaragua.

Group B includes World No. 1 and defending champions Japan, No. 4 Korea, No.5 Venezuela, No. 10 Cuba, No. 19 Great Britain and No. 23 South Africa in what promises to be an intense battle for Super Round qualification.

Hosts Nicaragua will welcome the world to Central America for the first time in U-23 tournament history, underscoring the country’s growing role on the international baseball stage. The Local Organising Committee has proposed three venues for the event: Soberanía National Stadium in Managua, the brand-new Roberto Clemente Stadium in Masaya, and Rigoberto López Pérez Stadium in León. Final confirmation of venues will be announced at a later stage.

Nicaragua will host the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup for the first time with the Local Organising Committee proposing three venues to host the tournament - Soberanía National Stadium in Managua, the brand-new Roberto Clemente Stadium in Masaya, and Rigoberto López Pérez Stadium in León. The venues will be confirmed at a later stage.

Japan are the two time defending champions having beaten hosts Chinese Taipei in 2022 and Puerto Rico in the 2024 World Championship Final.