If you enjoyed the 2026 World Baseball Classic, we have some unfortunate news — and, no, it doesn’t have to do with what will likely be a significantly reduced amount of bat flips when the regular season begins.
The World Baseball Classic is not a yearly event, meaning that we’ll need to wait some time before the next tournament. Although most of the information regarding the sixth WBC is unclear or unconfirmed as of March 2026, we have you covered with what we do know:
When is the next World Baseball Classic?
The next World Baseball Classic is expected to take place in March 2030, though that has not been confirmed as of publication. It is unclear whether the WBC would opt for a three-year break rather than four years, as was the case during the 2013 and 2017 tournaments. Before this year, the only three-year gap took place during the first two tournaments from 2006 through 2009.
However, it is unclear if a potential 2026–27 lockout would have any impact on the next World Baseball Classic. With that said, the 2021–22 lockout did not affect the 2023 WBC.
Where will the next World Baseball Classic be played?
As of March 2026, we feel comfortable assuming that both the United States and Japan will host games in the next World Baseball Classic, with the final rounds taking place in the U.S. There is no reason to believe that the WBC would radically change things to have the semifinals and title game taking place internationally, especially for broadcast reasons.
Keep an eye on Canada, though, which hasn’t hosted a pool of World Baseball Classic games since 2009.
As for broadcasters: Fox has MLB rights through the 2028 season. There is no indication, though, that Major League Baseball and Fox will part ways; Fox has aired MLB games since 1996 and been the sole World Series broadcaster since 2000. Based on previous tournaments, MLB Network should also have live game coverage during the next WBC.
Which teams will play in the next World Baseball Classic?
As it turns out, we actually already know a significant number of teams expected to participate in the next WBC. Barring a change to the rules, the top four teams in each pool of this year’s tournament will automatically qualify for the next WBC. Those teams are:
Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | Great Britain | Australia | Dominican Republic |
Colombia | Italy | Chinese Taipei | Israel |
Cuba | Mexico | Japan | Netherlands |
Puerto Rico | United States | South Korea | Venezuela |
Panama, Brazil, Czechia, and Nicaragua will all need to clinch a spot in the next WBC via qualifiers, which typically take place one year before the tournament.
Which players will participate in the next World Baseball Classic?
As of March 2026, none of the established MLB superstars like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, or Paul Skenes has even hinted that they will play in the next World Baseball Classic. Those announcements typically don’t come until a year before the tournament at the absolute earliest.
With that said, it’s easier to guess who likely won’t play in the 2029 WBC. We didn’t see Mike Trout suit up for Team USA this year, and his age and injury history make a future appearance doubtful, at least as things currently stand. Future Hall of Fame candidates like Paul Goldschmidt, Salvador Perez, and Freddie Freeman — who had previously played for Team Canada in 2017 and 2023 but opted out of this year’s tournament for personal reasons — might be too old when that time comes.
As for someone like Judge who would be deep into his 30s? We’re not predicting anything just yet.