World Baseball Classic Guide

The Cardinal Chronicle
World Baseball Classic Guide
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

The 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) is set to run March 5–17, with games scheduled across four international venues: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tokyo, Japan; Houston, Texas (Daikin Park); and Miami, Florida (loanDepot Park). The tournament’s pool stage will take place March 5–11, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship round following through March 17.

Twenty national teams will compete for the global title in this sixth edition of the Classic. Pool play will be conducted in a round-robin format at four sites before advancing to a single-elimination knockout stage.

2026 World Baseball Classic Schedule & Pools

Pool A (Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico): Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, Colombia. 

Pool B (Daikin Park, Houston, TX): United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil. 

Pool C (Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan): Japan, Korea, Australia, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic. 

Pool D (loanDepot Park, Miami, FL): Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel, Nicaragua.

Pool play will then be followed by quarterfinal games in Houston and Miami, with semifinal games and the championship later in Miami.

The title game is scheduled for Tuesday night, March 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern.

All 47 Classic games will be broadcast across Fox, FS1, FS2 and Tubi platforms, providing extensive coverage for the global tournament.

St. Louis Cardinals Representation

The Cardinals will be represented by multiple personnel on provisional rosters for the Classic this March. Among those currently in Major League camp as of this writing are C Leo Bernal (Panama), RHP Gordon Graceffo (Italy), INF Thomas Saggese (Italy), INF Luis Gastelum (Mexico), OF Matt Koperniak (Great Britain) and INF Bryan Torres (Puerto Rico). Coaches Stubby Clapp (Canada) and Julio Rangel (Panama), along with Assistant Athletic Trainer Chris Conroy (Puerto Rico), are also included on provisional WBC rosters.

The Classic gives Cardinals fans a global stage to follow players representing their heritage and national teams this spring, with games kicking off early March and running into the heart of March Madness week in the United States.

Looking Ahead

As pool play unfolds in the coming days, fans will get their first glimpses of intense international baseball competition leading into the knockout rounds. The Cardinals’ affiliations in multiple countries’ camps offer a unique vantage point on how their talent is woven into the worldwide game.