NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — Every four years, baseball players from around the globe step between the foul lines wearing national colors. On the night of March 4, the 2026 World Baseball Classic begins.

Set for its sixth edition, this year’s World Baseball Classic features 20 countries. The tournament will feature 47 total contests, ending with the championship game on March 17 at Loan Depot Park in Miami, FL.  The 20 teams are spread out across four different pools of five teams. Each pool will play in a round-robin format at one of the four host cities: Tokyo, San Juan, Houston, and Miami. 

The United States, Japan, and the Dominican Republic are the three teams favored to bring home the trophy. The United States will be led by the team’s captain, Aaron Judge, while Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan will look to repeat tournament victories. The Dominican Republic has a roster full of MLB talent as well, as they hope to win their first championship since 2013. Current players dominate the headlines, yet most teams’ coaching staffs feature former players whose contributions to the game shouldn’t be overlooked.

Former players like Albert Pujols (Dominican Republic), Mark DeRosa (United States), and Andruw Jones (Netherlands) are a few of the most prominent names. For Puerto Rico, the lineup card will be written by another former all-star, Yadier Molina. Returning as manager for this year’s tournament, Molina will lead a staff rich with major-league experience, including one member with a Westminster College tie.

Joey Cora, whose daughter Kim is a current student and soccer player at Westminster, will coach third base for Puerto Rico. While Cora currently coaches third base for the Detroit Tigers, he will now represent Puerto Rico as they chase their first-ever World Baseball Classic crown.

“I love my team and the fans are great, but this is special,” Cora said. “This is different.” 

Sandy Alomar Jr., Edgar Martinez, and Juan González are three of Cora’s former big-league teammates who will be on the staff. It’s clear that Yadier Molina wanted to bring experience and knowledge to Team Puerto Rico’s coaching ranks.

“He’s a future hall-of-famer,” Cora said. “It means a lot that he invited me to be a part of his staff.”

Cora said the champion of the tournament will be celebrated as an instant hero in their country. Players can suit up for a specific country if they, or at least one parent, were born there or if they are eligible for citizenship. 

It’s going to be a lot of great players playing for their countries,” Cora said. “Their pride of representing their countries is going to be there, and the fans are going to be wild.”

Puerto Rico will play all four of its opening round games in San Juan, Puerto Rico. With a true home-field advantage, Molina’s squad will look to start the tournament strong. Cora said that fans have been looking forward to watching the Puerto Rican team play at home for years.

“It’s been sold out since April of last year,” Cora said. “We expect a lot of energy.”

Cora’s brother, Alex, is the current Boston Red Sox manager and played for Team Puerto Rico in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic tournaments. He also served as the team’s general manager, guiding them to a second-place finish in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. 

Puerto Rico will open the tournament on March 6 against Colombia at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The team will look to lean on Yadier Molina, Joey Cora, and other veteran baseball minds to make a valiant run in this year’s World Baseball Classic.