After a three-year wait, baseball's premier international tournament is back. Anticipation for the World Baseball Classic is at an all-time high, and Team USA is hoping to avenge its loss to Japan in the 2023 final by assembling what might be the greatest roster of baseball talent in American history. But will it be enough to take home the WBC title for the second time ever?
The U.S. will begin to answer that question on Friday, March 6, with their first game of pool play, in which four groups of five teams battle it out round-robin style (similar to, say, the group stage of the World Cup) for the right to advance to the knockout round. Here's everything to know about Team USA's path through the WBC, from game one to the final in Miami on March 17.
When is Team USA's first World Baseball Classic game?
The U.S. begins its WBC journey on Friday, March 6, when the Americans open pool play against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston (usual home of the Astros).
- Date: Friday, March 6, 2026
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Daikin Park, Houston, Tex.
- TV Channel: FOX
- Streaming service: FOX Sports App, Tubi and FOX One
Brazil has one of the weakest rosters in the field, at least on paper, with very little MLB talent to speak of. Still, baseball is a weird game, and anything can happen in just nine innings.
Team USA full 2026 World Baseball Classic schedule
The Brazil matchup is the first of a total of four pool play games, as Team USA will play every other member of Pool B once. The U.S. will be the heavy favorite to win its pool, although Mexico figures to be a title contender after making it to the semifinals in 2023.
Pool B
- United States
- Brazil
- Great Britain
- Italy
- Mexico
Here's the full pool play schedule for Team USA:
Date | Opponent | Start time | TV channel | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
March 6 | @ Brazil | 8 p.m. ET | FOX | Daikin Park, Houston |
March 7 | vs. Italy | 8 p.m. ET | FOX | Daikin Park, Houston |
March 9 | vs. Mexico | 8 p.m. ET | FOX | Daikin Park, Houston |
March 10 | vs. Italy | 9 p.m. ET | FS1 | Daikin Park, Houston |
From there, the top two teams in each of the four pools will move on to the knockout stage, with quarterfinal play set for March 13 and 14. Assuming Team USA wins Pool — and it would be a shock if they didn't — they'll play their quarterfinal game on Friday, March 13, at 8 p.m. ET at Daikin Park. From there, the semifinals will be held on March 15 and 16 at loanDepot Park in Miami, which will also hold the final on March 17.
- Quarterfinals: March 13, 8 p.m. ET, Daikin Park, Houston (FOX)
- Semifinals: March 15-16, 8 p.m. ET, loanDepot Park, Miami (FS1)
- Final: March 17, 8 p.m. ET, loanDepot Park, Miami (FOX)
How to watch every Team USA game at the 2026 World Baseball Classic
FOX holds U.S. broadcast rights for every World Baseball Classic game this year, with games spread across FOX proper, FS1 and FS2. (Most of Team USA's games will be carried on FOX, although the final pool play game against Italy which will air on FS1.) You can also stream all the action on FOX Sports Go and the FOX Sports app with a valid cable subscription.
If you don't have a cable subscription, you're not out of luck entirely. Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV all carry the FOX family of channels, and all three come with a free trial for new customers. Fubo's free trial lasts a full week, with five days for YouTube TV and three days for Hulu + Live TV.