MLB Announces Host Venues for 2026 World Baseball Classic; Title Game Set for Miami

The sites for the 2026 World Baseball Classic have been announced, with LoanDepot Park in Miami hosting the championship round.

Major League Baseball announced on Thursday that Miami, San Juan, Tokyo and Houston will host the group stage.

Houston and Miami will host the quarterfinals, with Miami hosting the semifinals and championship game.

This will mark the second consecutive World Baseball Classic where the semifinals and championship will be played at LoanDepot Park.

The 2023 event memorably concluded with Japan defeating the United States 3-2 when then-Los Angeles Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout squared off with two outs in the top of the ninth inning.

Tokyo is the only city that has hosted at least one round of the World Baseball Classic since the tournament’s inception in 2006. Miami has been a staple of the rotation since 2009.

The 2023 tournament featured a record 20 national teams, an increase of four from the first five WBC events. The 2026 event will also feature 20 clubs, with 16 spots already accounted for by the teams that finished in the top four in pool play in 2023.

Those qualified countries include the United States, Japan, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, South Korea, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Netherlands and Australia.

The final four spots will be determined at qualifying tournaments in 2025. Official details about those events, as well as the start date for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, have not yet been announced.

Japan has won gold at the World Baseball Classic three times in five appearances. The U.S. (2017) and Dominican Republic (2013) are the only other countries that have taken home the title.

The Japanese team has medaled in all five WBC tournaments. The United States, Puerto Rico and South Korea are the only other countries with multiple medals.