Dates, Venues and Pools Announced For 2023 World Baseball Classic

The dates, venues and pools for the 2023 World Baseball Classic have been announced, along with the qualifying system for the four new teams involved.

The fifth installment of the international tournament — sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) — will be played from March 8-21, 2023, across four locations:

• Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks (Phoenix), March 11-15
• loanDepot Park, the home of the Miami Marlins, March 11-21
• Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, March 8-13
• Tokyo Dome in Japan, March 9-13

In 2023, the field will expand to 20 teams from 16 teams. The 16 teams that participated in the 2017 Classic are invited to play in 2023 and will be joined by four teams that will have advanced from the 2022 qualifiers will be held at Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, Germany, from September 16-21, and at Rod Carew National Stadium in Panama City, Panama, from September 30 through October 5.

The 2023 WBC will feature five-team pools in the first round for round-robin play. The top two teams in each of the four first round pools will advance to the quarterfinals, while the top two teams from each quarterfinal pool will advance to the Championship Round.

Chase Field returns as a World Baseball Classic host in 2023 after serving as a first-round venue in 2006 and 2013. The games for Pool C will include the defending World Baseball Classic Champion United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and a winner from the qualifier.

“We are honored and excited to welcome fans to Chase Field for the 2023 World Baseball Classic,” said Diamondbacks President and Chief Executive Officer Derrick Hall. “This event is another example of Arizona’s strong reputation as an international destination for major sporting events. Our fans created an electric and memorable atmosphere for the 2013 WBC, and I am confident their pride and passion will be on display for the world to see once again.”

loanDepot Park will become the first venue in tournament history to host games in all three rounds of a World Baseball Classic in the same year. Pool D features 2017 Finalist Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel, the Dominican Republic and a winner from the 2022 qualifier. The North American quarterfinals, including the teams advancing from Pool C and D, will take place on March 17-18, while the semifinals and finals will be played from March 19-21.

“Along with our fans, partners and the entire South Florida community, we are honored Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association have selected loanDepot park to host all three rounds of the 2023 World Baseball Classic,” said Marlins Chairman and Principal Owner Bruce Sherman.

Taichung — also a host in 2013 — will host Pool A contests between teams from Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Italy, the Netherlands and a winner from the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier.

The Tokyo Dome, which has hosted pools in each of the previous four World Baseball Classics (2006, 2009, 2013 and 2017), will again be home to first round games (Pool B) and quarterfinal games in 2023. Pool B will feature Japan, Korea, China, Australia and a winner from the 2022 Qualifier. The quarterfinals on March 15-16 will feature the top two teams from Pool B along with the two teams advancing from Pool A in Taiwan.

“I would like to express my deepest respect to WBC Inc. for all their hard work to organize the 2023 World Baseball Classic, after the two-year postponement,” said Takashi Yamada, chief officer, culture and sports projects of the Yomiuri Shimbun. “The role of the next tournament will be more significant than the past, to show the solidarity of the world.”