By Lery Hiciano / Staff writer
The qualifying round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is to be held at the Taipei Dome between Feb. 21 and 25, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced today.
Taiwan’s group also includes Spain, Nicaragua and South Africa, with two of the four teams advancing onto the 2026 WBC.
Taiwan, currently ranked second in the world in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, are favorites to come out of the group, the MLB said in an article announcing the matchups.
Slugger Yu Chang salutes his teammates during a World Baseball Classic game in Taichung in March last year.
Photo: Taipei Times
Last year, Taiwan finished in a five-way tie in their group with two wins and two losses, but finished last on tiebreakers after giving up the most runs.
That finish meant that instead of qualifying for the tournament outright, Taiwan need to finish in the top two in the qualifying round.
The MLB commented that the qualifiers are to be held in the brand-new Taipei Dome, “perhaps making the remarkable fan atmosphere even louder and more intense.”
Photo courtesy of Major League Baseball
Taiwan play Spain at 7pm on Feb. 21, followed by South Africa the next day and Nicaragua the day after.
The first-place team in the group after three days automatically advances to the WBC, while the second and third-place teams play a deciding match on Feb. 25 for the right to move on.
Another qualifying round is to take place from March 2 to 6 in Tucson, Arizona, with Brazil, China, Colombia and Germany participating.
