Baseball has literally become a global game.
Teams like Japan, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Venezuela have all impressed throughout the World Baseball Classic, eclipsing even baseball’s reputed place of origin, the United States.
That’s a big reason why the tournament is so popular, even as the sport expects spectator numbers to dwindle.
The WBC has been a booming success so far. This will also benefit the event’s wallet as participants will have a cool little win as a result of their participation in this year’s tournament.
But how much is there to win? Here’s a breakdown of what players and team officials can expect after participating in this year’s action-packed tournament.
World Baseball Classic prize money 2023
The total prize pool for the 2023 World Baseball Classic is $14.4 million. Much of that money – $6 million, in fact – is earmarked to reward the 20 teams that qualified for the event. That’s an average of $300,000 per team just for entering the tournament. Not too shabby.
There are a number of incentives teams can achieve to increase their share. For example, group winners receive an additional $300,000. Advancing to the quarterfinals adds another $400,000, while a trip to the semifinals adds $500,000.
Finalists will earn an additional $500,000, further encouraging this year’s field to leave it all on the field.
The money each team receives is split evenly between the players and their team’s baseball association. Teamwork makes the dream work.
| tournament stage | prize payouts |
|---|---|
| participation | 300.000 $ |
| group winner | 300.000 $ |
| Advance to quarterfinals | 400.000 $ |
| Promotion to the semifinals | 500.000 $ |
| Heading to the final | 500.000 $ |
| Champion | 1.000.000 $ |
How much money does the WBC winner get?
In addition to the winnings the team makes through each stage of the tournament, the winner of the WBC receives a swanky $1 million check.
For those keeping track, this means the winner can win up to 100% 3 million dollars in prize money. Splitting evenly leaves $1.5 million for players, averaging $50,000 per player (assuming each squad has 30 players). That might not be much for megastars like Mike Trout and Mookie Betts. But it can certainly weigh on the cost, especially for those playing in the league outside of MLB.
