The official rosters for the 2026 World Baseball Classic were revealed on Thursday night, and if you thought that Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout with a championship on the line three years ago was must-see television, you're really not going to want to miss the sequel. The WBC has officially gone mainstream, with all the best players from around the world dying to take part. The result? The most talented field in the tournament's history by a country mile.
We already knew most of the big names, from Aaron Judge, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes for Team USA, Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Seiya Suzuki for Japan and Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a loaded Domincan lineup. But Thursday's reveal still had some surprises in store, and the title favorites are now fully coming into focus.
Happy to get an invite
20. Brazil
19. Czechia
18. Nicaragua
17. Great Britain
16. Chinese Taipei
There's not a ton of MLB talent here, although Bahamian Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be suiting up for Great Britain once again. Still, feel-good stories abound, from a Czechia team whose semi-pros and firefighters shocked the world (and earned qualification for 2026) by winning a game at the 2023 WBC to a Brazilian side making its first appearance in the Classic since 2013 and just its second ever. If you're trying to identify a potential Cinderella from this group, don't sleep on Chinese Taipei: They came within a whisker of reaching the knockout stage last time around, and they bring a talented roster highlighted by top Tigers prospect Hao-Yu Lee.
Could spring an upset or two
15. Australia
14. Panama
13. Colombia
12. Israel
11. Cuba
It's a sign of just how far this tournament has come that we've already reached rosters with some notable names. Australia boasts top Guardians prospect (and potential Opening Day second baseman) Travis Bazzana, while Colombia's rotation will be anchored by MLB vets Jose Quintana and Julio Teheran, but neither has the depth to sustain a serious run or put a scare in to the best teams in the field.
It might surprise some to see Cuba this low on the list, and their ample international experience always helps in events like these. Their talent base isn't what it used to be, though: There are no Major League players on the roster, and they barely got out of pool play back in 2023. In a group with Puerto Rico, Canada and Panama, it'll be an uphill climb.
Could make a dark-horse run
10. Netherlands
Notable names: Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jurickson Profar, Kenley Jansen
The island of Curacao has been helping the Netherlands punch above its weight on the international stage for years now, and that will once again be the case in 2026. Pitching is the main question mark here — especially without Jurrangelo Cijntje, a top-100 prospect sent to the Cardinals in the Brendan Donovan trade just days ago — but the lineup is long on big-league talent, including stars up the middle in Albies, Bogaerts and Rafaela. There probably isn't enough depth here to reach the title game, but don't be surprised if the Netherlands gets out of its group and puts a scare into some of the big boys.
9. Korea
Notable names: Jung Hoo Lee, Hyeseong Kim, Dane Dunning
The KBO is widely considered the third-best baseball league in the world behind MLB and Japan's KBO, which is why it's so surprising that Korea has failed to make it out of pool play since finishing second at the 2009 WBC. Past disappointments aside, however, there's too much talent to ignore here, even with Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim forced to miss the tournament due to injury. Jung Hoo Lee and Hyeseong Kim lead the big-league contingent, with domestic stars like Do-Yeong Kim (who put together a 30-30 season at just 20 years old in 2025) in support. What they lack in star power, they make up for in depth.
8. Italy
Notable names: Aaron Nola, Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone, Kyle Teel
Maybe this is a bit too rich for a country without much of an international track record to speak of, but the Italians made it to the quarterfinals last time around, and in 2026 they'll bring what seems on paper at least to be their most loaded roster yet. Aaron Nola anchors the starting staff, granting more credibility to this rotation than it's ever had before, and there are MLB vets like Adam Ottavino and Greg Weissert in the bullpen. Add in a heart of the order featuring a pair of young Royals stars in Pasquantino and Caglianone, and this team could surprise some people.
7. Canada
Notable names: Josh Naylor, Bo Naylor, Tyler O'Neill, Owen Caissie, Jameson Taillon, Michael Soroka
Canada is in the midst of a golden generation in international basketball, and now it could be baseball's turn in the spotlight. It's a shame that Freddie Freeman's health issues leave him unable to compete, but there's still plenty of firepower in this lineup with Naylor, O'Neill and top prospect Caissie in the middle of things. And don't sleep on the rotation, either: Not many teams outside of the title favorites can boast three legitimate big-league starters like the Canadians can with Taillon, Soroka and Cal Quantrill.
6. Puerto Rico
Notable names: Edwin Diaz, Nolan Arenado, Seth Lugo, Heliot Ramos, Willi Castro
Puerto Rico deserves better, especially with the tournament returning to San Juan as a host city for the first time since 2013. Were Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Jose Berrios on the roster, this team would absolutely be in the next tier as a legitimate title contender. Unfortunately, insurance issues have kept all three out, and while there's still lots of MLB talent here — especially in the heart of the order — I'm just not sure the depth will be enough to hang with the best of the best, especially in the rotation.
The inner circle
5. Mexico
Notable names: Alejandro Kirk, Randy Arozarena, Jarren Duran, Andres Munoz, Jonathan Aranda, Robert Garcia
Mexico doesn't get quite as much shine as some other baseball-mad countries on this list, but underestimate them at your own peril: Novena Méxicana nearly made it all the way to the title game in 2023, and you could argue that they've got an even more talented roster this time around. The lineup is enough to rival anyone this side of Team USA and the Dominican Republic, with Jarren Duran at the top of the order followed by rock-solid sluggers like Arozarena, Aranda and Kirk. The starting staff isn't quite as star-studded, but Mexico can at least cobble together enough (Taijuan Walker, Javier Assad) to stay above water. And really, with this offense, that's all you need.
4. Venezuela
Notable names: Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, Wilyer Abreu, Maikel Garcia, Salvador Perez, Eugenio Suarez, Pablo Lopez, Ranger Suarez
It starts in the outfield for Venezuela, which will boast Acuña Jr. in left, Chourio in center and Abreu in right — a heck of a start for any team. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, as this lineup is chock full of big-league hitters who are battle-tested. Just how high Venezuela's ceiling will be comes down to how its pitching holds up: Lopez and Suarez are studs, but there isn't much behind them, and the bullpen could get ugly unless the Phillies' Jose Alvarado and the Cubs' Daniel Palencia are ready to carry the load. If the offense goes nuts, it might not matter, but you're going to need plenty of arms to keep the top three teams on this list at bay.
3. Dominican Republic
Notable names: Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Julio Rodriguez, Manny Machado, Ketel Marte, Cristopher Sanchez, Sandy Alcantara
I mean, you can see all those names up there, right? The Domincan lineup could well double as an All-Star lineup, so deep is it with star hitters — from Soto and Vladdy to Machado, Marte and Tatis Jr. Heck, even the names we didn't include here, like Jeremy Pena and Oneil Cruz, have the chance to be difference-makers.
So how could a team this stacked not climb any higher than No. 3? Well, the results haven't always matched up with the names on the backs of the jerseys; remember that the D.R. didn't even make it out of pool play in 2023, after all. I'd be stunned if that happened again, and I thought long and hard about flipping them with the team directly above them on this list. In the end, though, I had just enough questions about the pitching to give me pause — and too much respect for the track record of the defending champs.
2. Japan
Notable names: Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Seiya Suzuki, Kazuma Okamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Yusei Kikuchi
Do the names on Team Japan match up with the Dominican Republic, at least for star power? Not necessarily, no. But they won it all in 2023 anyway, and they still have the best player on planet Earth in Shohei Ohtani, and that's good enough for me.
Ohtani will only hit this time around, but he's just the beginning of what is once again an incredibly deep roster. It might even be better than the last time, as Seiya Suzuki returns after missing the 2023 tournament due to injury. Veteran MLB talent abounds here, including new signees Okamoto and Murakami in the infield. And of course, because this is Japan we're talking about, there's always a new wave around the corner waiting to become household names; infielder Teruaki Sato, outfielder Shota Morishita and righty Hiromi Ito are three of the best players not currently in the big leagues.
1. United States
Projected Team USA lineup
- DH Kyle Schwarber
- RF Aaron Judge
- C Cal Raleigh
- SS Bobby Witt Jr.
- 2B Gunnar Henderson
- 1B Bryce Harper
- 3B Alex Bregman
- LF Corbin Carroll
- CF Pete Crow-Armstrong
Projected Team USA rotation
- RHP Paul Skenes
- LHP Tarik Skubal
- RHP Logan Webb
- RHP Joe Ryan
How's this for a Dream Team? Yes, the U.S. fell short in the final to Japan in 2023, but that was with a roster heavily relying on guys like Lance Lynn and Adam Wainwright. This time around, Team USA isn't holding anything back, and the result is far and away the most talented group the Americans have ever sent to the WBC.
The lineup is an embarrassment of riches, with team captain Judge joined by stars like Witt Jr., Harper and an MVP runner-up in Raleigh. The real difference, though, comes in the rotation, which now boasts arguably the two best pitchers in the world in Skubal and Skenes. That's a world apart from what Team USA has put up in prior editions of this event, and there's plenty of depth to boot with Ryan, Webb, Nolan McLean and relievers like Mason Miller and David Bednar.
Really, it's hard to poke a hole in this roster. The U.S. is finally, fully committed to the World Baseball Classic, ready to show that they're still in charge of the national pastime. Now all that's left to do is win the thing for the first time since 2017.