The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament that is played every four years (this year being 6 due to the pandemic), featuring teams from around the world. The tournament is organized by the International Baseball Federation and is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The tournament format is similar to that of the FIFA World Cup, with 16 teams divided into four pools. The top two teams from each pool advance to the single-elimination knockout rounds. The tournament has been praised for its competitive nature, with many players representing their home countries with pride and passion. The World Baseball Classic has become an important event on the baseball calendar, showcasing the best players from around the world and promoting the sport on a global scale.

Pool A

The opening match of the competition is between group A favorites Cuba and The Netherlands on Tuesday, March 7 in Taipei. The Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taiwan, China, will host all of the group’s games. Group A will feature Cuba, The Netherlands, Italy, Taiwan and Panama. Due to their respective nations’ long and illustrious baseball traditions, Cuba and The Netherlands are seen as the favorites to emerge from the group. Both teams will feature MLB all-star level players on their rosters, including Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert for Cuba and Kenley Jansen for The Netherlands. Despite being the group’s underdogs, the Italian, Taiwanese and Panamanian teams should never be written off each team contains a grand passion for the sport. Every team will face each other one time this pool of teams will be very interesting.

Pool B

The second pool of the competition is called Pool B. Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, and the Czech Republic are included in this group. All of the games will be held in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo Dome, where ardent Japanese supporters will cheer on their country. Japan is by much the favorite in this group. The nation has enjoyed success in previous tournaments, winning the 2006 and 2009 tournaments. Japan will be led by their star player Shohei Ohtani, who is one of the few athletes in modern baseball history to be able to pitch and hit at a consistent rate. In the 2021 MLB season, Ohtani won MVP with an impressive 3.18 ERA while pitching and hitting an even more impressive 46 home runs in the same season. He is undoubtedly a player to keep an eye on in this group. China, South Korea Czech republic and Australia will make this a very exciting group.

Pool C

The United States of America, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and Colombia make up pool C, which is likely the most competitive group in the entire baseball classic. Six nations will compete against one another in Phoenix, Arizona’s Chase Field.. While all the teams in this group are similarly talented, there are no clear favorites. Mike Trout, Team USA’s longtime captain and multiple-time MVP winner, will guide them in their attempt to win “back to back” contests after winning the 2017 competition. Team USA is one of the favorites to win the competition, although they may have problems defeating their northern and southern neighbors, Canada and Mexico. Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman will serve as Canada’s captain. Freeman chose to represent Canada even though he was born in California to commemorate his mother, who was born there. With how evenly matched their team is, no one should be surprised if Canada makes a splash during this competition. Mexico is considered a distant favorite to win the baseball championship. Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays is Mexico’s captain. Arozarena opted to represent Mexico, where he was naturalized and granted Mexican citizenship, despite having been born and raised in Cuba. Mexico will have to put up a fight in order to gain classification. Colombia is another very talented team that includes several MLB names such as Harold Ramirez of the Tampa Bay Rays and Gio Urshela for the Angels. Due to all the clubs’ innate quality, the matchups in this group will be remembered as classics in the future.

Pool D

Pool D is the final group and it’s yet another exciting group. Venezuela, The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Israel, and Nicaragua will clash in this group. The Dominican Republic has arguably the best team in the entire competition; their lineup features numerous MLB all-stars and MVP candidates, including Padres slugger Juan Soto and homerun derby winner Julio Rodriguez, among a ridiculous number of other talented players; they are the clear favorites to win this year’s Baseball Classic; it is extremely uncommon to see a team with such talent. Venezuela, a rival of the DR in the Caribbean, is another loaded team in this group. Venezuela will be captained by the only living triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera in the quest a world championship in his final season. Ronald Acuna JR, a World Series champion and All-Star for the Atlanta Braves, is a highlight of Venezuela. One of the league’s brightest players, Acuna aspires to shine even brighter for his country on the biggest stage. After coming in second place in 2017, Puerto Rico is seeking payback this year. You don’t want to miss this club, which is led by second baseman Javier Baez. Due to their storied rivalries and all the squads being in their peak, these matchups involving Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic will be all-time sports classics such as game six Jordan or super bowl 50. These events are must-watch television.

Baseball is finally back!