The 2026 World Baseball Classic got underway on March 5th. The tournament runs through March 17th, where one country will be crowned champions in Miami, Florida.
Team USA is one of 20 countries participating in the event that takes place every three years. They begin their tournament run on Friday, March 7th.
Last time the WBC was held in 2023, Team USA fell in the championship game to Team Japan, led by Shohei Ohtani. Japan is attempting to defend their title here in 2026.
THE FORMAT
The 20 teams are divided into four pods with five teams each. Every team will play one game against the other four teams in their pod. At the end of those pool games, the top two teams in each pod advance to the single-elimination bracket format.
From there, it’s do-or-die, with each team playing elimination games until a champion is crowned.
THE SCHEDULE
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time |
| March 6 | @ Brazil | Daikin Park / Houston, Texas | 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET |
| March 7 | vs. Great Britain | Daikin Park / Houston, Texas | 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET |
| March 9 | vs. Mexico | Daikin Park / Houston, Texas | 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET |
| March 10 | vs. Italy | Daikin Park / Houston, Texas | 8:00 p.m. CT/9:00 p.m. ET |
| March 13 OR 14, 2026 | Quarterfinals / World Baseball Classic | Daikin Park / Houston, Texas | TBD |
| March 15 OR 16, 2026 | Semifinals / World Baseball Classic | loanDepot Park / Miami, Fla. | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| March 17, 2026 | Finals / World Baseball Classic | loanDepot Park / Miami, Fla. | 8:00 p.m. ET |
THE TEAM
Team USA features a loaded roster of Major League Baseball Stars. Players like Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, and Roman Anthony lead the offense, while pitchers like Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal lead the pitching staff.
The full Team USA roster is as follows:
Pitchers
| # | NAME | POSITION | HT. | WT. | DOB | HOMETOWN | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | David Bednar | RHP | 6’1 | 250 | 10/10/1994 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | New York Yankees |
| 31 | Matthew Boyd | LHP | 6’3 | 220 | 2/2/1991 | Mercer Island, Wash. | Chicago Cubs |
| 60 | Garrett Cleavinger | LHP | 6’1 | 225 | 4/23/1994 | Lawrence, Kan. | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 35 | Clay Holmes | RHP | 6’5 | 245 | 3/27/1993 | Dothan, Ala. | New York Mets |
| 48 | Griffin Jax | RHP | 6’3 | 201 | 11/22/1994 | Phoenix, Ariz. | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 40 | Brad Keller | RHP | 6’5 | 250 | 7/27/1995 | Snellville, Ga. | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 22 | Clayton Kershaw | LHP | 6’4 | 225 | 3/19/1988 | Dallas, Texas | |
| 26 | Nolan McLean | RHP | 6’2 | 214 | 6/24/2001 | Willow Spring, N.C. | New York Mets |
| 19 | Mason Miller | RHP | 6’5 | 228 | 8/24/1998 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | San Diego Padres |
| 30 | Paul Skenes | RHP | 6’6 | 260 | 5/29/2002 | Fullerton, Calif. | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 27 | Tarik Skubal | LHP | 6’3 | 212 | 11/20/1996 | Hayward, Calif. | Detroit Tigers |
| 55 | Gabe Speier | LHP | 5’11 | 200 | 4/12/1995 | Santa Barbara, Calif. | Seattle Mariners |
| 52 | Michael Wacha | RHP | 6’5 | 215 | 7/1/1991 | Iowa City, Iowa | Kansas City Royals |
| 62 | Logan Webb | RHP | 6’2 | 223 | 11/18/1996 | Rocklin, Calif. | San Francisco Giants |
| 59 | Garrett Whitlock | RHP | 6’5 | 220 | 6/11/1996 | Snellville, Ga. | Boston Red Sox |
| 44 | Ryan Yarbrough | LHP | 6’5 | 215 | 12/31/1991 | Austin, Texas | New York Yankees |
Catchers
| # | NAME | POSITION | HT. | WT. | DOB | HOMETOWN | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Cal Raleigh | C | 6’2 | 235 | 11/26/1996 | Cullowhee, N.C. | Seattle Mariners |
| 16 | Will Smith | C | 5’10 | 195 | 3/28/1995 | Louisville, Ky. | Los Angeles Dodgers |
Infielders
| # | NAME | POSITION | HT. | WT. | DOB | HOMETOWN | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Alex Bregman | 3B | 6’0 | 215 | 3/30/1994 | Albuquerque, N.M. | Chicago Cubs |
| 5 | Ernie Clement | INF | 6’0 | 185 | 3/22/1996 | Rochester, N.Y. | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 43 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | 6’2 | 225 | 9/10/1987 | Wilmington, Del. | New York Yankees |
| 24 | Bryce Harper | 1B | 6’3 | 210 | 10/16/1992 | Las Vegas, Nev. | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 11 | Gunnar Henderson | SS | 6’3 | 220 | 6/29/2001 | Montgomery, Ala. | Baltimore Orioles |
| 13 | Brice Turang | 2B | 6’0 | 190 | 11/21/1999 | Placentia, Calif. | Milwaukee Brewers |
| 7 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | 6’1 | 205 | 6/14/2000 | Colleyville, Texas | Kansas City Royals |
Outfielders
| # | NAME | POSITION | HT. | WT. | DOB | HOMETOWN | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Roman Anthony | OF | 6’3 | 200 | 5/13/2004 | West Palm Beach, Fla. | Boston Red Sox |
| 25 | Byron Buxton | OF | 6’2 | 210 | 12/18/1993 | Baxley, Ga. | Minnesota Twins |
| 4 | Pete Crow-Armstrong | OF | 6’0 | 190 | 3/25/2002 | Sherman Oaks, Calif. | Chicago Cubs |
| 99 | Aaron Judge | OF | 6’7 | 282 | 4/26/1992 | Linden, Calif. | New York Yankees |
Designated Hitter
| # | NAME | POSITION | HT. | WT. | DOB | HOMETOWN | ORGANIZATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Kyle Schwarber | DH | 6’0 | 229 | 3/05/1993 | Middletown, Ohio | Philadelphia Phillies |
COACHES
| NAME | POSITION |
|---|---|
| Mark DeRosa | Manager |
| Michael Young | Bench Coach |
| Andy Pettitte | Pitching Coach |
| Sean Casey | Hitting Coach |
| Matt Holliday | Hitting Coach |
| George Lombard | First Base Coach |
| Dino Ebel | Third Base Coach |
| David Ross | Bullpen Coach |
| Fredi González | Assistant Manager |
| Brian McCann | Assistant Manager |