MLB announces WBC Classic is back! |
World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) today announced the dates, venues and pools for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The fifth installment of the Classic, which will be played from March 8th-21st, 2023, will take place at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan; the Tokyo Dome in Japan; Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Phoenix; and loanDepot park, the home of the Miami Marlins, in Florida.
In 2023, the field of teams will expand to 20 for the first time in the tournament’s history. The 16 teams that participated in the 2017 Classic are invited to play in 2023 and will be joined by four teams that will have advanced from the 2022 Qualifiers, which will be held at Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, Germany from September 16th-21st and at Rod Carew National Stadium in Panama City, Panama from September 30th-October 5th. The 2023 WBC will feature five-team pools in the first round for round-robin play. The top two teams in each of the four first round pools will advance to the quarterfinals, while the top two teams from each quarterfinal pool will advance to the Championship Round. Taichung will host Pool A contests from March 8th-13th between teams from Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Italy, The Kingdom of the Netherlands and a winner from the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier. It marks the second time that Taiwan will host WBC contests (Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium also hosted in 2013). “The 2013 World Baseball Classic remains the most memorable international baseball tournament for fans in Taiwan,” said Mosy Hu, President of Bros Sports Marketing Co. LTD. “The strong performance of Team Chinese Taipei in front of the home crowd is deeply rooted in the memories of thousands of Taiwanese baseball fans. Bros Sports Marketing Co. is proud to present the return of the World Baseball Classic to Taiwan in March 2023. We are excited about the opportunity to help put on another great tournament and we look forward to hosting participating federations and our friends from all around the world.” The Tokyo Dome, which has hosted pools in each of the previous four World Baseball Classics (2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017), will again be home to first round games (Pool B) and quarterfinal games in 2023. Pool B will be played from March 9th-13th, featuring Japan, Korea, China, Australia and a winner from the 2022 Qualifier. The quarterfinals on March 15th-16th will feature the top two teams from Pool B along with the two teams advancing from Pool A in Taiwan. “I would like to express my deepest respect to WBC Inc. for all their hard work to organize the 2023 World Baseball Classic, after the two-year postponement,” said Takashi Yamada, Chief Officer, Culture & Sports Projects of The Yomiuri Shimbun. “The role of the next tournament will be more significant than the past, to show the solidarity of the world. As the host of five consecutive tournaments in Tokyo, we promise to devote all our energy to reach a successful goal for all of us.” Chase Field returns as a World Baseball Classic host in 2023 after serving as a first-round venue in 2006 and 2013. The games for Pool C, which will be played from March 11th-15th, will include the defending World Baseball Classic Champion United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and a winner from the Qualifier. “We are honored and excited to welcome fans to Chase Field for the 2023 World Baseball Classic,” said D-backs President & CEO Derrick Hall. “This event is another example of Arizona’s strong reputation as an international destination for major sporting events. I am proud that the D-backs will host fans from United States, Mexico, Canada, Colombia and one additional team to cheer for the most talented players in the world. Our fans created an electric and memorable atmosphere for the 2013 WBC, and I am confident their pride and passion will be on display for the world to see once again.” loanDepot park in Miami will become the first venue in tournament history to host games in all three rounds of a World Baseball Classic in the same year. Pool D of the first round, which features 2017 Finalist Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel, the Dominican Republic and a winner from the 2022 Qualifier, will run from March 11th-15th. The North American quarterfinals, including the teams advancing from Pool C and D, will take place on March 17th-March 18th, while the Semi-Finals and Finals will be played from March 19st-21st. “Along with our fans, partners and the entire South Florida community, we are honored Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have selected loanDepot park to host all three rounds of the 2023 World Baseball Classic,” said Marlins Chairman and Principal Owner Bruce Sherman. “We look forward to welcoming fans from across the globe to loanDepot park to cheer on many of the top players in the game taking part in this prestigious event.” The World Baseball Classic is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) as the sport’s official National Team World Championship. Did you like this story?
