Fastball

Miami, Tokyo, Houston, San Juan Revealed as 2026 World Baseball Classic Host Sites

First-round pools for the 2026 World Baseball Classic will be split between Houston, San Juan, Tokyo and Miami, while the finals will return to loanDepot Park.
Sam Connon|
Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Team Japan watches the game from the dugout against the USA in the first inning at LoanDepot Park.
Mar 21, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Team Japan watches the game from the dugout against the USA in the first inning at LoanDepot Park. | Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Miami MarlinsHouston AstrosLos Angeles DodgersChicago Cubs

The World Baseball Classic is returning in March 2026, featuring some new host sites and some familiar ones.

All four host cities for the tournament were revealed Thursday. Pool A will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, while Pool B will be in Houston, Pool C will be in Tokyo and Pool D will be in Miami.

Following the first-round pools, the semifinals will be held in Houston and Miami. As was the case in 2023, the finals will be at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.

Tokyo, like Miami, was also a host site in 2023. San Juan, meanwhile, hasn't hosted World Baseball Classic competition since 2013.

This marks the first time that Houston will host the World Baseball Classic in any capacity.

“We are excited and honored to be hosting World Baseball Classic matchups for the first time,” Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane said in a statement on MLB.com. “Houston is a global city with the best baseball fans, and we are proud to welcome fans from across the globe to watch international competition at Minute Maid Park."

All countries that finished top-four in their respective pools in 2023 have automatically qualified for the 2026 iteration of the World Baseball Classic. That leaves four spots open in the field, which will be claimed during the 2025 Qualifiers.

The schedule for the qualifiers has yet to be determined.

Japan beat Team USA in the finals of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, winning their third gold medal since the event began in 2006. The United States and Dominican Republic are the only other countries to claim gold.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Published
Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

Share on XFollow SamConnon
Home/News