When and where is the next World Baseball Classic after 2023? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The 2023 World Baseball is winding to a close, and what a tournament it’s been.
The fifth iteration of the WBC saw the field of teams extend to 20 for the first time, with games held in Arizona, Miami, Tokyo and Taichung, Taiwan.
It had been a long wait for the international baseball tournament to return. Following the 2017 WBC, the event was scheduled to be back four years later just like the prior two tournaments. But the 2021 WBC was postponed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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So now that the hiatus has ended, when will we next see the World Baseball Classic after 2023?
When is the next World Baseball Classic?
The collective bargaining agreement struck ahead of the 2022 MLB season calls for the WBC to return in 2026. It’s the first time that there will be a three-year gap between WBCs since the first and second editions in 2006 and 2009.
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Where is the next World Baseball Classic being played?
The host cities for the 2026 World Baseball Classic have not been revealed yet. The sites for this year’s tournament weren’t announced until July 2022, so it could be a while before that information comes to light.
It does seem like a safe bet that Miami, which has been part of the past four WBCs, will once again be a host. Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Diego are other U.S. Cities that have been involved multiple times.
How do teams qualify for the next World Baseball Classic?
The top four finishers in each of the four 2023 WBC pools automatically qualified for the 2026 event. The last-place teams -- China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia and Nicaragua -- have to earn their way back into the WBC through qualifier tournaments.
