Houston Astros Are Leading Candidates to Host World Baseball Classic
The Houston Astros have continued to express their interest in hosting the World Baseball Classic. While this would be an awesome chance for baseball fans to come to Texas and watch games, there's a financial benefit in it for the Astros.
Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reported the interest in Houston to be a host site in 2026. He noted that the host cities could be announced before the start of the 2024 MLB season.
Jose Altuve was injured during the WBC after being hit on the hand with a pitch. He missed 43 games due to a broken thumb.
In 2023, the WBC had games in two United States cities and two international cities. Miami and Phoenix hosted games in the USA, while Tokyo and Taichung hosted internationally.
A decision about doing something similar in '26 is unclear.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Major League Baseball is leaning towards having the event in the Central Time Zone. He also noted that they're in favor of having ballparks with retractable roofs. The Astros and Texas Rangers are the two leading candidates to host.
Houston had 14 players compete in the WBC in '23 and will have a similar amount in '26 if they keep their current roster together.
In '23, Miami sold out 11 of 15 games played. If Houston can find similar success, it's a win for the entire city.
This is the second major sporting event the city will look to be involved with. Houston is one of 16 sites for the 2026 World Cup.
