Baseball fans, rejoice! The World Baseball Classic is coming back in 2026!
The next tournament was announced today, along with the host cities:
- Minute Maid Park in Houston
- loanDepot Park in Miami
- Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan
- Tokyo Dome in Tokyo
The first rounds will be split amongst all four ballparks, while the semifinals will be stateside in Houston and Miami, with the finals to be hosted at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Sixteen teams have already qualified for the tournament. They are:
- Australia
- Canada
- Cuba
- Czech Republic
- Dominican Republic
- Great Britain
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Panama
- Puerto Rico
- South Korea
- United States
- Venezuela
The final four teams to qualify will be determined in 2025.
Nothing to do on the travel front just yet: no dates have been announced, and it’s too early to book hotels anyway. But when you’re thinking about what else you might be able to do/see while these events are taking place, let’s give you some thoughts:
- The Miami Open will be taking place in March of 2026 (www.miamiopen.com)
- InterMiami will be playing in their new stadium, Miami Freedom Park (https://www.intermiamicf.com/club/facilities/miami-freedom-park).
- The Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, Houston Rockets and Houston Dynamo will all be in-season at the same time as the WBC.
- Tampa and Houston will both be early round sites for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament
- Ft. Worth will be an early round site for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament
It sounds to us like a great opportunity for lots of doubleheaders!
Stay tuned for more details as they’re announced, and be sure to sign up for our daily newsletter so you don’t miss any updates on tickets, schedules, and everything else you need to plan ahead!
