Today, the World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) announced the pools and schedule for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with Minute Maid Park being one of the four host sites.
Pool B will compete at Minute Maid Park from Friday, March 6-Wednesday, March 11. The ballpark, which is hosting the World Baseball Classic for the first time, will feature teams from the United States, Mexico, Great Britain, and Italy, along with the winner of a Qualifier.
Houston will also host the Quarterfinals along with loanDepot Park in Miami on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14. Minute Maid Park will host the teams advancing from Pool A (top two teams from San Juan, PR) and Pool B (top two teams from Houston). If Team USA advances to the quarterfinal round in Houston, their game will be played on Friday, March 13 regardless of whether they are the Pool B winner or runner-up.
The Championship Round will be played in Miami, with the semifinals set for Sunday, March 15, and Monday, March 16. The championship game will be played on Tuesday, March 17.
Game times and TV information will be released at a later date.
Full ticketing information for the 2026 tournament will be announced at a final date, but fans can register now at www.astros.com/wbc to receive the most up-to-date information about the tournament, ticketing, and upcoming
presale opportunities for the games at Minute Maid Park.
The World Baseball Classic is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) as the sport’s official National Team World Championship.
In addition to the star-studded Team USA and Mexico rosters, both Great Britain and Italy had strong squads that featured current and former major leaguers in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Team USA advanced to the
championship in 2023, but fell to Japan, 3-2. Mexico advanced to the semifinals before losing to Japan, 6-5. Italy also made it out of the pool stage, advancing to the quarterfinals before losing to Japan. Team Italy’s roster in 2023 was full of current and former major leaguers and their pitching staff, headlined by Matt Harvey, boasted six players who had all played in the big leagues. Team Great Britain also had big league pedigree with outfielder Trayce Thompson leading a roster that also included former major league veterans Andre Scrubb, Akeel Morris, and Vance Worley.
The Astros were well-represented in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, both on the player side and in the coaching ranks.
Five current Astros were named to the Dominican Republic’s roster RHP Bryan Abreu, RHP Ronel Blanco, RHP Cristian Javier, RHP Rafael Monter,o and SS Jeremy Peña. The Astros had three players play for the United States in 2023 RHP Kendall Graveman, RHP Ryan Pressly, and RF Kyle Tucker. Second baseman Jose Altuve and RHP Luis Garcia suited up for Venezuela, while RHP José Urquidy played for Mexico.
Press Release from the Houston Astros