When is next World Baseball Classic? WBC has four-year break, but MLB stars could play in 2028 Olympics
After a thrilling 2026 tournament, baseball fans will have to wait until 2030 for the next World Baseball Classic
Tuesday night at loanDepot Park in Miami, USA and Venezuela will meet in the World Baseball Classic Championship Game. USA is back in the title game after losing to Japan in 2023. They're looking for their second WBC championship after winning it in 2017. This is Venezuela's first ever appearance in the WBC Championship Game.
"The job's not done, certainly," USA manager Mark DeRosa said after USA's thrilling win over the Dominican Republic. "... We want to win the whole thing. I mean, that's why we signed up for this."
With the 2026 World Baseball Classic coming to a close, let's look ahead to the next iteration of the WBC, and what will happen between now and then. Here's what you need to know about the future of the WBC.
When is the next WBC?
The WBC has been played in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2023, and 2026. COVID pushed the 2021 WBC back to 2023, but they've used three- and four-year cycles over the years. The next WBC will played in 2030, so we're back on a four-year cycle. That is due in part to the 2028 Olympics, which will be played in Los Angeles. MLB players could play in those Olympics for the first time. That would mean a mini-WBC in the summer.
Where will the next WBC be played?
It's too early to know. Miami has become a staple because the crowds are so electric, so it's a good bet at least some WBC games will be played in South Florida next time around. Houston hosted Pool B this WBC and would like to host games again in 2030. Games have been played in Asia in every WBC and there's no reason to think that will change. Whether that's Korea, Japan, and/or Taiwan remains to be seen. Mexico, Puerto Rico, and various MLB stadiums are all possibilities.
Which teams have qualified?
We already know 16 of the 20 teams that will play in the next WBC. The top four teams in each pool are given an automatic berth in the next WBC while the last place teams must go through a qualifying event. Here are the 2026 final pool play standings:
| Pool A (San Juan) | Pool B (Houston) | Pool C (Tokyo) | Pool D (Miami) |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Canada: 3-1 | 1. Italy: 4-0 | 1. Japan: 4-0 | 1. Dominican Republic: 4-0 |
2. Puerto Rico: 3-1 | 2. USA: 3-1 | 2. Korea: 2-2 | 2. Venezuela: 3-1 |
3. Cuba: 2-2 | 3. Mexico: 2-2 | 3. Australia: 2-2 | 3. Israel: 2-2 |
4. Colombia: 1-3 | 4. Great Britain: 1-3 | 4. Chinese Taipei: 2-2 | 4. Netherlands: 1-3 |
5. Panama: 1-3 | 5. Brazil: 0-4 | 5. Czechia: 0-4 | 5. Nicaragua: 0-4 |
Colombia beat Panama head-to-head, which is the tiebreaker, so Panama is the last place team in Pool A and must qualify for the next WBC along with Brazil, Czechia, and Nicaragua.
The qualifying events are held a year before the WBC and, in 2025, they were two four-team pools that played a round robin. The top two teams in each pool qualified for the WBC. Nicaragua and Chinese Taipei beat out South Africa and Spain in Taiwan. Brazil and Colombia emerged from the Arizona pool. They beat out China and Germany.
What about the 2028 Olympics?
Last year commissioner Rob Manfred and then-MLBPA head Tony Clark expressed an appetite for MLB players participating in the 2028 Olympics. When the players and the league both want something, it tends to happen. They just need to work through the logistics, including pausing the MLB season for something longer than the typical All-Star break. Olympic games are scheduled for July 15-20 at Dodger Stadium. The pause would be 7-10 days, give or take.
Previously, only amateurs and minor leaguers not on the 40-man roster could participate in the Olympics. The Los Angeles games present a special opportunity, given the location, and there is obviously tremendous interest in an international best-on-best tournament. The smart money is on MLB and the MLBPA sorting out the logistics and sending big leaguers to the 2028 Olympics. That would be the next international baseball tournament with MLB players, not the 2030 WBC.
