The 2026 World Baseball Classic kicks into full fear on Friday, March 6 with eight games beginning at 5 a.m. ET and going all the way through the night for fans in the United States.
Japan begins its championship defense at the Tokyo Dome in the first game, with most of the field also playing its first games of the tournament. Team USA starts its campaign facing Brazil in Houston at 8 p.m. ET, hoping for another deep run after finishing runner-up in 2023.
USA TODAY Sports is on the ground covering the 2026 World Baseball Classic, bringing you behind the scenes with Team USA, Shohei Ohtani and baseball’s biggest global stars.
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Stay tuned for live updates and highlights:
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World Baseball Classic scores on March 6
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5 a.m. – Japan vs. Chinese Taipei, Tokyo (Tokyo Dome) on FS1
11 a.m. – Cuba vs. Panama, San Juan (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) on FS2
12 p.m. – Netherlands vs. Venezuela, Miami (LoanDepot Park) on Tubi
1 p.m. – Mexico vs. Great Britain, Houston (Daikin Park) on FS1
6 p.m. – Puerto Rico vs. Colombia, San Juan (Hiram Bithorn Stadium) on FS1
7 p.m. – Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic, Miami (LoanDepot Park) on FS2
8 p.m. – USA vs. Brazil, Houston (Daikin Park) on Fox
10 p.m. – Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia, Tokyo (Tokyo Dome) on FS2
How the World Baseball Classic works
The 20 teams are divided into four groups. They are:
Pool A (San Juan): Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Canada, Colombia
Pool B (Houston): United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil
Pool C (Tokyo): Japan, South Korea, Australia, Czechia, Chinese Taipei
Pool D (Miami): Venezuela, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Israel, Nicaragua
Teams play one game each against the other four teams in their pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout rounds in Houston and Miami. Teams are re-seeded after the quarterfinals.
Teams that remain tied in the standings following round robin play will be seeded based on the following criteria:
Head-to-head performance between the teams who are tied
Fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Highest batting average in games between the tied teams.
Drawing of lots conducted by WBCI
Pool play games will occur from March 4 to March 11. Quarterfinals begin on March 13. The semifinals begin March 15.
The championship game is set for March 17 in Miami.