Major League Baseball announced the four venues for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Thursday.
Games in all three tournament rounds will be held at Miami’s loanDepot Park for the second year in a running. The first-round fights in 2026 will be held at Tokyo Dome in Japan, which has hosted the World Boxing Championships the last five times. Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Puerto Rico will host games for the first time since 2013 during the first round. The Astros will become the third MLB team to host a portion of the event at their home field when WBC games are played there for the first time at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.
A statement from Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros, read, “We are thrilled and honored to be hosting World Baseball Classic matchups for the first time.” “We are excited to host international competition at Minute Maid Park for baseball fans from all over the world. The best baseball fans may be found in Houston, a global city. We anticipate a tremendous tournament in 2026 and are grateful for the assistance we have received from MLB, the MLBPA, and the City of Houston.
Each of the four locations will have one of four pools available for use in the first round of competition. The competition’s quarterfinals will then be held at Minute Maid Park and loanDepot Park, with the championship games held at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Japan defeated the United States in the World Baseball Classic final game in 2023, the first year when the number of teams was expanded from 16 to 20. In the 2026 World Boxing Championship, 16 competitors who finished in the top four of their respective 2023 pools will make a comeback. Four more teams will be added to the competition in 2025 through a series of qualification tournaments.