The World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Wednesday announced venue selections for the 2026 tournament, which will be the sixth WBC.
The 2026 edition, which gets underway in March of that year, will take place at loanDepot Park, the home of the Miami Marlins; Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros; the Tokyo Dome in Japan; and Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. loanDepot Park in the 2026 WBC will again host all three rounds of the tournament, including the championship game.
"Following a record-breaking World Baseball Classic in 2023, loanDepot park showcased that it is the home of international baseball, and we are proud to once again bring the incredible tournament back to South Florida, the go-to destination for jewel global events," Marlins owner Bruce Sherman said in a statement.
"It is a tremendous honor to once again serve as host for all three rounds, including the prestigious final, and on behalf of our entire team and the greater Miami area I would like to express our gratitude to Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association for the recognition."
The Tokyo Dome and Hiran Bithorn Stadium have been selected venues in multiple previous WBCs. Minute Maid Park in Houston, however, will be serving as a WBC host for the first time in 2026.
Starting with the 2023 WBC, which was won by Japan, the pool of tournament teams was expanded to 20 countries. That will again be the case in 2026. The 16 teams that finished within the top four of their respective first round pools in the 2023 WBC will be offered automatic berths in 2026. The remaining four bids will go to teams that advance out of the 2025 qualifiers.
