2026 World Classic: Predictions & Top Contenders

Anticipation is growing for the start of the World Baseball Classic, an event that has established itself as the most important international tournament in this sport and that in this 2026 edition will have great MLB stars in action.

Figures such as the captain of the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge, and the four-time MVP winner Shohei Ohtani will be wearing the jerseys of their national teams, and according to all predictions it is expected to see them face each other for the champion trophy in the final on March 17 in Miami.

The United States and Japan – the winners of the last two editions – are the big favorites for the event that will begin on March 4, but other teams are also present that will surely fight with rosters full of players with star labels in the Major Leagues, such as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and even Mexico, which took third place.

The contest has four groups of five teams distributed in San Juan de Puerto Rico, Houston, Japan and Miami, and on paper there are clear contenders to advance to the next phase. But in all the five previous editions, a surprising team has been presented, just as happened with Mexico in 2023. What will be the revelation this time?

Group A

Jameson Taillon will pitch for Canada, but their chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals were drastically impacted by Freddie Freeman’s withdrawal from participating. In theory, the Puerto Rico team led by Francisco Lindor (although they do not have Kike Hernández, who had surgery after the World Series, nor George Springer) and led by Yadier Molina does not seem to have enemies to be first in the group. If the Canadians cannot remedy Freeman’s absence, second place in the bracket may remain in the hands of Cuba, which was already runner-up in 2006.

Group B

There seems to be no room for surprises in segment B. The United States is still hurting for the 2023 final and put together the best possible team to get even: Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Bobby Witt Jr., Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes and Mason Miller are confirmed and unless a catastrophe happens they will pass as leaders. Mexico is called to be second in a key that also has Italy, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

Group C

The Tokyo Dome in the Japanese capital, with its unparalleled atmosphere, once again hosts a group in the World Classic. Japan is not the big favorite for this edition of the competition, but with Ohtani there is no doubt that it will be the leader of the table in Group C, where it can qualify undefeated. The second member of this bracket that will advance to the quarterfinals may be between Chinese Taipei and South Korea, which has one of the strongest leagues in Asia. Australia and the Czech Republic complete the group.

Group D

Full houses are expected in Miami, the center of Latin culture in the United States, to support the Venezuelan and Dominican Republic teams. Seeing Ronald Acuña Jr., Salvador Pérez, Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., among other MLB stars, guarantees good attendance. Barring some unforeseen events, South Americans and Merengueros will be the ones classified for the quarterfinals of Group D, in which Israel, Nicaragua and the Netherlands will also play, which will be directed by Andruw Jones.

Quarter finals

It is true that the South Korean league is strong, but its team will not be a rival to fear for Venezuela in a possible confrontation in the quarterfinals, in which the vinotintos look superior in several aspects. Nor does Cuba, whose hegemony in this sport has gone down in history, have the opportunity to get the powerful United States team out of the way.

It will be very interesting to see the duel between Mexico and Puerto Rico for a place in the semifinals, and the team led by Benji Gil may have more resources than the Puerto Rican team to win. In the other confrontation, and despite having a roster of stars, the Dominican Republic will not be able to defeat Ohtani and Japan’s squad.

Semifinals

In Venezuela they still have nightmares about Trea Turner’s home run that took them out of the semifinals in 2023 and in this edition they will meet the United States again but, precisely, in the round of the best four. Once again, it will be an insurmountable obstacle for Acuña and company. The forecasts suggest that the other semifinal will also be a repeat of the last edition, with Mexico challenging the current champions of Japan, who will win again.

Final

Everything seems to indicate that the path of this World Classic will lead us to witness the rematch between the United States and Japan. The presence of Ohtani, who was decisive in the last final, guarantees that there will be an exciting competition, but a new duel between the Japanese and Judge captivates millions of baseball followers. On this occasion, the Americans have many arguments to think that they can achieve the objective and lift the monarch trophy at the loanDepot Park in Miami.

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