Predictions for 2026 World Baseball Classic
USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale and Steve Gardner give their predictions for who will bring home the WBC trophy in 2026.
Editor’s note: Follow the USA vs. Brazil WBC game live on Friday night
The 2026 World Baseball Classic kicks into high gear 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 began 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.
Keep up with the latest scores and news all the way through the grand finale in Miami to decide the WBC championship. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter to get the biggest storylines straight to your inbox.
Stay tuned for live updates and highlights:
World Baseball Classic scores on March 6
- Japan 13, Chinese Taipei 0 (7 innings)
- Cuba 3, Panama 1
- Venezuela 6, Netherlands 2
- Mexico 8, Great Britain 2
- 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
Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo
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.
