WBC bracket predictions: Experts make picks for baseball's version of March Madness
Can Team USA go all the way in the World Baseball Classic bracket? The Dominican Republic should have something to say about that
The single-elimination knockout stage has arrived at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Eight teams are in the bracket, including Team USA, which backed into the quarterfinals thanks to Italy's win over Mexico on Wednesday. Japan, the 2023 WBC champion, and the Dominican Republic, arguably the best team this year, both enter the knockout stage unbeaten. Italy also went 4-0 in pool play, including a shocking win over the United States earlier this week.
Here is the 2026 WBC bracket:
Quarterfinal games will be played Friday and Saturday at Daikin Park (Houston) and loanDepot Park (Miami), then the semifinals will be played Sunday and Monday in Miami. The Championship Game is scheduled for Tuesday in Miami, the same place Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to end the 2023 WBC.
Starting pitchers for this Friday's and Saturday's quarterfinal games include Seth Lugo (Puerto Rico), Hyun-Jin Ryu (Korea), Cristopher Sánchez (Dominican Republic), Ranger Suárez (Venezuela), Logan Webb (USA), and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan). The pitch limit is now 80 pitches, so these starters will be able to provide some real length.
Team USA is heavily favored to beat Canada in Friday's quarterfinal matchup (the Americans have -900 odds to win on DraftKings). And the Americans are favored (+130) to win the whole competition, even after the slip-up vs. Italy.
Do our experts agree? Here now are the CBS Sports MLB expert picks for the rest of the 2026 WBC.
WBC quarterfinal picks
| Game |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.R. vs. Korea | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic |
| Canada vs. USA | USA | USA | USA | USA | USA |
| Italy vs. Puerto Rico | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy |
| Japan vs. Venezuela | Japan | Japan | Japan | Japan | Venezuela |
WBC semifinal picks
| Game | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinal 1 | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | USA |
| Semifinal 2 | Italy | Japan | Japan | Japan | Venezuela |
WBC championship game picks
| Game | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBC championship | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | Dominican Republic | USA |
Expert explanations
Axisa: I picked the Dominican Republic to win before the WBC started, and the team has given me no reason to doubt. The lineup is deep and powerful, the rotation is the best the D.R. has ever had in the WBC, and the bullpen is one 100-mph reliever after another. I'm riding Italy as the Cinderella story based purely on vibes. It's a very fun team, and we're in the single-elimination phase of the WBC now. Anything can happen in one game. Italy beat USA and Mexico. Why can't the Italians get through the Japan/Venezuela side of the bracket? Ultimately, the Dominican Republic is just too good for me to pick against. I'd feel better about Team USA's chances if the Americans hadn't shown a tendency to sleepwalk through 5-6 innings at a time.
Feldman: I really wanted to get Italy all the way to the championship game, but I'm just not sold enough on the pitching, no matter how beaned up Vinnie Pasquantino gets (please keep a doctor on hand if this goes any further). The Dominican Republic has been my pick since the get-go. The D.R. is just too good. The pitching is great. The hitting is even better. I genuinely don't know how you beat this team.
McWilliams: Team USA has a loaded roster, but some arrogance and indifference that was on display against Italy will be exposed by the D.R. in the semis. The Dominican Republic has the pitching it has lacked in recent WBCs and an offense that I believe might be the best in the history of the tournament. Ultimately, this will be the Dominicans' tournament to lose. This is their time.
Perry: In terms of star power and excellence at an individual level, the Dominican Republic roster compares favorably to Team USA, especially in the lineup. We all know it's a fool's errand to predict the outcomes of single games in a sport like baseball, but the D.R. has championship talent and certainly championship vibes. Besting Korea, the United States, and Japan in the knockout stages is a titan's burden, but the Dominican roster is capable of it. It says here the baseball hotbed will soon hoist its second WBC trophy.
Snyder: We're into a one-and-done tournament in baseball, which means that absolutely nothing would surprise. It's a total guessing game. For some reason, I'm getting a gut feeling that Japan is going to be taken down. Venezuela has the talent to do it in the quarterfinals. I'm going with my heart in picking Team USA. But the group remains the most talented in the field and five bad innings against Italy -- which steamrolled a very good Mexico team -- doesn't change that.
