Although baseball is called “America’s pastime,” the World Baseball Classic shows that the sport is much more — it’s global, and it thrives on that stage. 

The WBC returns in 2026. It’s baseball’s version of the World Cup, and this is its sixth edition. Japan has won three times (2023, 2009, and 2006), the Dominican Republic has won once (2013) and the United States has won once (2017). This year’s classic runs from March 5 to 17, and it’s poised to deliver exciting baseball.

The tournament smashed expectations last time in 2023. It featured firefighters from the Czech Republic pitching in packed stadiums, a U.S. team with four MVP winners, and the unforgettable moment when Japanese two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani struck out his Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout (Team United States) to win the WBC championship.

There are 20 teams competing this year and a lot to follow, so here are three storylines to track this March.

Pitching hindered the U.S. in 2023, but this year?

It’s a massive strength. Last WBC, the U.S. lineup was chock-full of All-Star sluggers and some future hall-of-famers — Trout, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to name a few — but the pitching staff lacked electricity. It was composed of a few dominant relievers and good veteran starting pitchers, but not the best the U.S. could conjure. This year, that’s completely different.

The winners of the 2025 American and National League Cy Young awards, which are given to the best pitchers, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, are suiting up this March. They’ll also have San Diego Padres flamethrower Mason Miller in relief — he throws 104 miles per hour. 

The offense also features some of the best in the sport. Highlights include Cal Raleigh (catcher who broke the single-season home run record for his position), Aaron Judge (three-time American League MVP), Bryce Harper (two-time National League MVP), and Kyle Schwarber (56 home runs in 2025). After falling one run short of a championship in 2023, Team U.S. is putting its best foot forward. 

Samurai Japan’s road to repeat champions

Ohtani won’t pitch this year to prioritize arm health, which hurts Samurai Japan. Neither will Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, who just finished an injury-riddled rookie season and was told by the Dodgers that he can’t play — another blow. But the good news is that the Dodgers’ third Japanese pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, will pitch.

Yamamoto cemented himself as one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball last season. In 30 starts, he had a 2.49 ERA and won the World Series MVP after pitching 17.2 innings across three games and recording the last out in game seven. He’ll be Japan’s ace this year. 

Yamamoto will be joined by two-time All-Star Yusei Kikuchi and two other MLB relievers, Yuki Matsui and Tomoyuki Sugano. 

The offense has some big returners from the 2023 squad, including Nippon Professional Baseball — Japan’s top league — single-season home run leader Munetaka Murakami, who just signed with the Chicago White Sox, and Kazuma Okamoto, who just signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for $60 million. Chicago Clubs slugger Seiya Suzuki will also join the squad after his 32-home run 2025 campaign. 

Samurai Japan won’t have Ohtani and Sasaki at their disposal, but they’ve found ways to win in the past — maybe that’ll continue this year. 

A look at a potential first-time champion

Despite 20 teams competing in the WBC, only three nations have ever won the championship. Those three teams — the U.S., Japan, and Dominican Republic — are loaded. Highlights from the Dominican Republic are seven-time All-Star Manny Machado, five-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., $765 million phenom Juan Soto and retired 700-home run hitter Albert Pujols as manager.

But there’s another team that could hoist the trophy for the first time in 2026: Venezuela. In 2023, they suffered a crushing defeat to the U.S.in the quarterfinals. They entered the eighth inning with a 7-5 lead before allowing the Phillies’ shortstop Trea Turner to hit a grand slam — a blow they couldn’t recover from. 

After that loss, Venezuela is back with a strong team in 2026. The lineup boasts three-time batting title winner, Luis Arraez, a 49-home run hitter in 2025, Eugenio Suarez, and former MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. Rounding out the lineup are brothers William Contreras and Willson Contreras, and rising superstar Jackson Chourio. The pitching staff is spearheaded by $130 million pitcher Ranger Suarez and Minnesota Twins ace Pablo Lopez. 

This Venezuela team showed its talent in 2023; now it’s about results in 2026.