The 2026 Classic, which begins Wednesday night, has four groups: A, B, C and D. Each of those groups is made up of five teams that compete in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals, and the remainder of the event is contested in a single-elimination tournament format.
Group A: Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Group B: Daikin Park – Houston, Texas
Group C: Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan
Group D: loanDepot park – Miami, Florida
World Baseball Classic 2026
Group A (San Juan) presented by Discover Puerto Rico
Group B (Houston) and Group D (Miami) presented by Capital One
For a deeper look at each group and a prediction on who will advance from each, we consulted with an MLB.com reporter who will be on site providing coverage during the group stage. Here are their breakdowns:
GROUP A (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Teams: Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico
Key topics: This is perhaps the most balanced group of the four in the 2026 Classic. Colombia and Panama have improved notably in the last decade, and both could present the best teams in their history, with veteran pitching and Major League hitting. Even without the best Canadian who has perhaps played in the Majors, Freddie Freeman, the Great North team has incorporated young MLB figures who give it the most exciting outfield in Group A.
Cuba has a number of star pitchers from the NPB (Japanese Professional Baseball League) and several veterans with experience in international tournaments who have been playing since before you were born. And then there’s the host team, Puerto Rico, which lost some stars due to insurance issues, but still, as an island full of Major League talent, has a very good chance of advancing.
The stars: When looking at the Group A rosters, there really aren’t too many superstars that immediately stand out. Maybe that’s why it will be such an even first round. Puerto Rico probably still has the most recognizable names, like closer Edwin Díaz coming out of the bullpen and Nolan Arenado at third base. There is also Seth Lugo on the mound and sniper Heliot Ramos patrolling the outfield. Canada has the Naylor brothers, Josh and Bo, Tyler O’Neill and defensive wizard Denzel Clarke, plus Jameson Taillon as their ace in the rotation.
Colombia has two veteran names at the front of their rotation in José Quintana and Julio Teherán, with Gio Urshela defending the hot corner. Panama features defensive wizard José Caballero in its infield and Edmundo Sosa in the outfield. Cuba… well… remember Alexei Ramírez? The former MLB All-Star, now 44, is back representing his country.
Names to follow that go unnoticed: Canada has the highest-ranked prospect in Group A, No. 42 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, Owen Caissie of the Marlins, who hit a home run in the 2023 World Classic and had a breakout year in Triple-A in 2025. Plus, he has striking red hair, so he’ll be easy to spot. Puerto Rico’s Elmer Rodriguez is the No. 3 prospect in the Yankees’ system, and his arm has looked fantastic in early Spring Training action this year. Michael Arroyo is a key player to watch for Colombia, a top Mariners prospect, No. 67 overall, with speed, power and great ability to get on base. He is barely 21 years old.
Speaking of speed, Panama could be unleashed on the bases with the American League’s stolen base leader, José Caballero, and the Orioles’ No. 10 prospect, Enrique Bradfield Jr. José Ramos, a former top MLB prospect now with the Mets, is also an offensive force to watch. Cuba has the best pitcher in the NPB, Liván Moinelo: the left-hander won the Pacific League Most Valuable Player award in 2025 and the ERA title in 2024. Oh, and you may already know his name, but Alfredo Despaigne, 39, is back again. He is the all-time leader in home runs in the history of the World Baseball Classic.
Prediction: This group is very difficult to predict, it feels like an intense, back and forth battle. I think Puerto Rico will advance, as it still has perhaps the best Major League roster among the five, and the home crowd at Hiram Bithorn Stadium should make itself felt strongly. And then I think Canada will be the second team to advance. Surprisingly, it would be the first time he has achieved this. — Matt Monaghan
Teams: Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, United States
Key topics: This is a strong group. The United States has created a blunderbuss in its attempt to regain World Classic gold after losing to Japan in the 2023 title game. It is all or nothing for the Stars and Stripes team, which won the tournament in 2017.
But they will have to go through Mexico, which came close to eliminating the champions in the semifinals of the last Classic before a ninth-inning comeback by Japan and a decisive double by Munetaka Murakami that left them in the field. And Italy has also just reached the quarterfinals in 2023, and could have a stronger team this time, in addition to having defeated Mexico twice in the World Classic, in 2013 and 2017.
The stars: America is filled with superstars, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr. and many more. Mexico is led by 2023 Classic supernova Randy Arozarena, Red Sox outfielder Jarren Durán, Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk and Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. Italy has hitman Vinnie Pasquantino back after 2023, and has added players like Aaron Nola, Adam Ottavino and Jac Caglianone. Yankees All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. is Britain’s biggest star.
Names to follow that go unnoticed: Brazil doesn’t have the big league stars that other Group B teams do, but it does feature a trio with big league heritage, Dante Bichette Jr., son of former Rockies slugger of the same name, Lucas Ramirez, son of Manny Ramirez, and 17-year-old Joseph Contreras, son of White Sox pitcher José Contreras. Great Britain’s Harry Ford is now co-captain of the team after debuting in the 2023 Classic at age 20, and was a first-round selection in the MLB Amateur Draft. Also watch out for rising young catcher Kyle Teel with Italy, who is coming off a very good rookie season with the White Sox.
For Mexico, Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda doesn’t get the spotlight like Arozarena, but he hit .316 and was an All-Star in 2025. And if it’s not the superstars of the United States, it could be emerging figures like Roman Anthony, who was a last-minute addition to the roster to replace the injured Corbin Carroll.
Prediction: The United States is clearly the favorite in this group, if not the entire tournament. It will move forward. Mexico would be the easy choice to accompany him. But we believe that Italy could have added the necessary talent to surprise Mexico and take second place in Group B. –David Adler
Teams: Australia, Chinese Taipei, Czechia, Japan, South Korea
Key topics: With three World Classic championships and as the reigning Olympic champion, it is almost a given that Japan will not only advance from this group, but also win it. With Shohei Ohtani back, even if he won’t be pitching, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2025 Sawamura Award winner Hiromi Itoh and a host of major league sluggers such as Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Masataka Yoshida and Seiya Suzuki, he certainly appears to have the offensive firepower to claim the tournament champion once again.
But every once in a while a giant falls, and Japan’s outfield defense has some vulnerabilities. Could something like the Premier12 be repeated, when Chinese Taipei defeated Japan and ended its streak of 27 consecutive victories in international competitions? Baseball fandom has reached a peak in Taiwan since then, so don’t be surprised if the team pulls off some upsets in Tokyo this year as well.
South Korea won gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics and lost the 2009 World Classic championship in extra innings to Japan, but has failed to advance beyond the first round since that year. Injuries have hit the roster hard leading up to this tournament, so a trip to the quarterfinals would feel like a success. Meanwhile, Australia advanced beyond the group stage for the first time in 2023, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them do it again, especially after adding the first overall pick in the 2024 Amateur Draft, Travis Bazzana, to the team.
And finally there is Czechia. In 2023, the underdogs turned Ohtani and Tokyo Dome fans into Czech baseball fans, and the team has used the past three years to push its program with more media coverage than ever and tours to play exhibition games in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. The group is much stronger this time, but the Czechs are also stronger, after winning the bronze medal at the 2025 European Baseball Championship.
The stars: Of course, it all starts with Ohtani. What more can be said about him? He may not be pitching this time around, but there’s a reason he’s on every billboard and in every ad you see in Tokyo: he’s just that good. Since it would be too obvious to mention the best baseball player on the planet, we also added Yamamoto. The Dodgers’ postseason figure will have to take on a larger role with Samurai Japan now that he will not have either Ohtani or Roki Sasaki in the rotation.
We already mentioned Bazzana from Australia, who is packed with tools and talent. Then there is Jung Hoo Lee, from Korea, the “Grandson of the Wind,” who returns for his second Classic and is coming off his best season in the Major Leagues. With injuries affecting much of South Korea’s roster, Lee, who went 6-for-14 with four runs and five RBIs in 2023, will need to repeat that performance to boost his team.
Names to follow that go unnoticed: Chinese Taipei captain Chieh-Hsien Chen earned MVP honors by hitting .652 and leading his team to its biggest-ever achievement, the Premier12 title in 2024. Known as “The Muscle Man” for his impressive physique, 22-year-old outfielder Hyun-Min Ahn is already assured of a spot at the top of South Korea’s order after registering .334/.448/.570 with 22 home runs in just 112 KBO games last season.
Kensuke Kondoh of Japan is the embodiment of a “professional hitter.” At just 1.73 meters tall, he has a lifetime average of .307/.417/.456 in the NPB, and was instrumental in Japan’s success in the 2023 tournament, when he left a line of .346/.500/.615. For the Czechs, Ondřej Satoria, famous for striking out Ohtani, will pitch in his last tournament, while pitcher and firefighter Martin Schneider is not 100% after returning from a shoulder injury. Fortunately, the team once again has a healthy Jan Novak on the roster: In the 2025 European Championship, Novak, who previously pitched in the Baltimore Orioles system, struck out nine batters in 7.1 scoreless innings.
Prediction: Japan will finish in first place once again, it really is that good. The battle for second place will be very close, but I give the advantage to Chinese Taipei. They are coming off a Premier12 win and have a promising pitching staff, so I can see them advancing in second place. — Michael Clair
Teams: Dominican Republic, Israel, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Venezuela
Key topics: The Dominican Republic looks like a powerhouse, on par with the United States, and the 2013 World Baseball Classic champions will be motivated to avenge their early elimination in the last tournament. Venezuela was one of the main reasons for that elimination, as it dominated a group that included both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Israel will try to recover the magic of its first participation in the Classic in 2017, when it surprised everyone by winning its group. However, they had a disappointing Clásico 2023, as did the Netherlands, as neither team managed to advance beyond the group stage. Nicaragua is seeking its first victory in the World Classic after debuting in 2023.
The stars: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and more make up a fearsome lineup for the Dominican Republic, while Cristopher Sánchez and Sandy Alcántara headline an equally intimidating pitching staff. Venezuela also has great figures, Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, Salvador Pérez, Luis Arráez, Eugenio Suárez and Gleyber Torres, to name a few.
Netherlands has Xander Bogaerts, Ozzie Albies, Kenley Jansen and Jurickson Profar. Israel features Harrison Bader, Tommy Kahnle and Spencer Horwitz. Even Nicaragua has Mets slugger Mark Vientos.
Names to follow that go unnoticed: Netherlands’ outfield could make countless defensive plays, which is appropriate considering Hall of Famer and former center fielder Andruw Jones leads the team. His son, Druw Jones, is on the roster and has inherited Andruw’s extraordinary defense; He and reigning American League Gold Glove winner Ceddanne Rafaela could probably cover the entire outfield on their own.
Israel has interesting young players like Cole Carrigg, one of the Rockies’ top prospects, who has played center field in the minors but is projected to play shortstop for Israel. Nicaraguan patrolman Ismael Munguía, currently in the Blue Jays organization, has just won the LIDOM batting title by hitting .368.
Prediction: The Dominican Republic and Venezuela have by far the biggest power in Group D, so they are the teams we pick to advance from the Miami group. However, Israel and the Netherlands could make it a very competitive group.
