Baseball season is here – can you smell the peanuts and cracker jacks? To make this year even more exciting, baseball fans have another event to rally around – The World Baseball Classic 2023. Much like the FIFA World Cup, the World Baseball Classic was supposed to take place every four years and features all star teams from the represented countries. But this year’s event will be the first in seven years, since the 2021 event was canceled due to COVID.
Did you know DIRECTV is going to have a presence at the World Baseball Classic? Learn more about this exciting sponsorship.
Looking for some classic world baseball? Learn more about this event, find out the team rosters, explore the schedules and discover how to it all works in this World Baseball Classic guide.
When is the World Baseball Classic?
The World Baseball Classic 2023 takes place from March 8 through March 21 in various locations in the host countries of Japan, Taiwan and the U.S.
The U.S. locations align with the already in progress Spring Training season in Phoenix and Miami.
From Cactus League to the Grapefruit League, find out everything you need to know about Spring Training in our handy guide.
How Does the World Baseball Classic Work?
The 2023 World Baseball Classic is the first time there will be 20 teams competing (rather than 16 from prior years). The WBC goes down in three rounds: Pool play (four pools), quarterfinals and championship.
In pool play, each of the five teams in each pool (A, B, C, & D) play each opponent once. The two teams with the best records will advance to the quarterfinal round. In the case of a tie, there are some complicated rules to determine who will move on. The last place team from each pool won’t simply go home, instead, they will be relegated, and required to play in a qualifier tournament to secure their spot in the next WBC. In that same vein, the top four teams in each pool are automatically invited to the next WBC.
The quarterfinal and championship rounds are played in a single elimination bracket, with the last team standing taking the WBC trophy. Explore the full schedules of each of the three rounds below.
Quick Question: What exactly is the #WorldBaseballClassic?
We’ve got everything you need to know: https://t.co/BL0f0yLmew pic.twitter.com/sNpGOoKVej
— MLB (@MLB) March 1, 2023
World Baseball Classic Schedule
World Baseball Classic Pool Play Schedule
POOL A |
POOL B |
POOL C |
POOL D |
March 7-13 |
March 9-13 |
March 11-15 |
March 11-15 |
Taichung, Taiwan |
Tokyo, Japan |
Phoenix, Arizona |
Miami, Florida |
Chinese Taipei |
*Australia |
Canada |
Dominican Republic |
*Cuba |
China |
Colombia |
Israel |
*Italy |
*Japan |
Mexico* |
Puerto Rico* |
Netherlands |
Korea |
USA* |
Venezuela* |
Panama |
Czech Republic |
Great Britain |
Nicaragua |
*=clinched quarterfinals position
WBC Quarterfinal Round Schedule
Quarterfinal 1 |
Tokyo |
March 16 |
Australia vs. Cuba* |
Watch Thur., March 16 @ 6 p.m. ET on FS2 – Watch Here |
Quarterfinal 2 |
Tokyo |
March 15 |
Italy vs. Japan* |
Watch Wed., March 15 @ 6 p.m. ET on FS2 – Watch Here |
Quarterfinal 3 |
Miami |
March 17 |
Puerto Rico vs. Mexico* |
Watch Fri., March 17 @ 7 p.m. ET on FS1 – Watch Here |
Quarterfinal 4 |
Miami |
March 18 |
USA* vs. Venezuela |
Watch Sat., March 18 @ 7 p.m. ET on FOX – Watch Here |
*= game winners that will move on
World Baseball Classic Championship Round Schedule
Semifinal 1 |
Miami |
March 19 |
USA* vs. Cuba |
Watch Sun., March 19 @ 7 p.m. ET on FS1 |
Semifinal 2 |
Miami |
March 20 |
Mexico vs. Japan |
Watch on Mon., March 20 @ 7 p.m. ET on FS1 – Watch Here |
Championship Game |
Miami |
March 21 |
USA vs. Semifinal 2 winner |
Watch on Tue., March 21 @ 7 p.m. ET on FS1 – Watch Here |
How to Watch the World Baseball Classic
Watch many of the 47 games on FOX, FS1, FS2, and FOX Deportes.
Watch World Baseball Classic 2023 on DIRECTV
- FOX
- FS1 – Ch. 219
- FS2 – Ch. 618
- FOX Deportes – Ch. 465
Explore the full list of broadcast events on FOX.
Get DIRECTV to make sure you can watch the World Baseball Classic and MLB games all season long.
World Baseball Classic Teams and Rosters
Australia
Pitchers
Tim Atherton
Matt Beattie
Liam Doolan
Kyle Glogoski
Josh Guyer
Sam Holland
Jon Kennedy
Tim Kennelly
Steven Kent
Daniel McGrath
Mitch Neunborn
Jack O’Loughlin
Chris Oxspring
Warwick Saupold
Will Sherriff
Josh Tols
Blake Townsend
Todd Van Steensel
Luke Wilkins
Coen Wynne
Catchers
Ryan Battaglia
Alex Hall
Jordan McArdle
Robbie Perkins
Infielders
Jake Bowey
Jarryd Dale
Darryl George
Robbie Glendinning
Liam Spence
Logan Wade
Rixon Wingrove
Outfielders
Ulrich Bojarski
Andrew Campbell
Aaron Whitefield
Canada
Pitchers
Andrew Albers
Phillippe Aumont
John Axford
Matt Brash
Mitch Bratt
Trevor Brigden
Indigo Diaz
R.J. Freure
Adam Loewen
Scott Mathieson
Nick Pivetta
Cal Quantrill
Evan Rutckyj
Noah Skirrow
Cade Smith
Curtis Taylor
Rob Zastryzny
Catchers
Kellin Deglan
Bo Naylor
Andy Yerzy
Infielders
Freddie Freeman
Edouard Julien
Otto Lopez
Damiano Palmegiani
Abraham Toro
Jared Young
Outfielders
Owen Caissie
Denzel Clarke
Tyler O’Neill
Jacob Robson
China
Pitchers
Alan Carter
Hai-Cheng Gong
Kwon Ju
Qiang Lin
Xin Qi
Changlong Su
Hailong Sun
Weiyi Wang
Xiang Wang
Yuchen Wang
Jian Yi
Hao Zhang
Fuyang Zhao
Chaoqun Zheng
Catchers
Chen Chen
Ning Li
Yifan Li
Yun Lu
Infielders
Jie Cao
Ray Chang
Chen Chen
YongKang Kou
Chenchen Luan
Jin Yang
Outfielders
Xiao Han
Pei Liang
Rongji Liang
Jinjun Luo
Yuheng Lyu
Yusuke Masago
Chinese Tai Pei
Pitchers
Kuan-Wei Chen
Kuan-Yu Chen
Shih-Peng Chen
Yu-Hsun Chen
Shao-Ching Chiang
Chih-Wei Hu
Tzu-Peng Huang
C.C. Lee
Yen-Ching Lu
Chia-Hao Sung
Kai-Wei Teng
Jen-Ho Tseng
Jyun-Yue Tseng
Wei-Chung Wang
Catchers
Kungkuan Giljegiljaw
Yu-Chieh Kao
Dai-An Lin
Infielders
Yu Chang
Tsung-Che Cheng
Kun-Yu Chiang
Kuo-Chen Fan
Li Lin
Tzu-Wei Lin
Wei-Chen Wang
Nien-Ting Wu
Outfielders
Chen-Wei Chen
Chieh-Hsien Chen
Chin Cheng
Tien-Hsin Kuo
Po-Jung Wang
Colombia
Pitchers
Elkin Alcala
Adrian Almeida
Danis Correa
Nabil Crismatt
William Cuevas
Luis De Avila
Santiago Florez
Ruben Galindo
Pedro Garcia
Rio Gomez
Yapson Gomez
Tayron Guerrero
Jasier Herrera
Jeffry Nino
Carlos Ocampo
José Quintana
Jhon Romero
Reiver Sanmartin
Julio Teheran
José Torres
Ezequiel Zabaleta
Guillermo Zuniga
Catchers
Jorge Alfaro
Gustavo Campero
Elias Díaz
Meibrys Viloria
Infielders
Jordan Diaz
Dayan Frias
Evan Mendoza
Fabian Pertuz
Adrián Sanchez
Donovan Solano
Gio Urshela
Outfielders
Oscar Mercado
Tito Polo
Harold Ramírez
Cuba
Pitchers
Frank Alvarez
Ronald Bolaños
Naykel Cruz
Roenis Elías
Onelki Garcia
Elian Leyva
Raidel Martinez
Livan Moinelo
Yeudis Reyes
Jose Rodriguez
Yariel Rodriguez
Miguel Romero
Carlos Viera
Yoennis Yera
Catchers
Ariel Martinez
Andrys Perez
Lorenzo Quintana
Infielders
Erisbel Arruebarrena
Dayan Garcia
Yurisbel Gracial
Andy Ibáñez
Luis Mateo
Yoán Moncada
Yadil Mujica
Outfielders
Yoenis Cespedes
Alfredo Despaigne
Yadir Drake
Yoelkis Guibert
Luis Robert Jr.
Roel Santos
Czech Republic
Pitchers
Jeff Barto
Filip Capka
Tomas Duffek
Lukas Ercoli
Lukas Hlouch
Michal Kovala
David Mergans
Marek Minarik
Jan Novak
Daniel Padysak
Ondrej Satoria
Martin Schneider
Jan Tomek
Boris Vecerka
Catchers
Martin Cervenka
Daniel Vavrusa
Infielders
William Escala
Jakub Hajtmar
Jakub Kubica
Vojtech Mensik
Milan Prokop
Filip Smola
Eric Sogard
Petr Zyma
Outfielders
Marek Chlup
Arnost Dubovy
Jakub Grepl
Marek Krejcirik
Matej Mensik
Martin Muzik
Dominican Republic
Pitchers
Bryan Abreu
Sandy Alcantara
Ronel Blanco
Génesis Cabrera
Diego Castillo
Roansy Contreras
Johnny Cueto
Enyel De Los Santos
Camilo Doval
Carlos Estévez
Jarlín García
Luis García
Yimi Garcia
Cristian Javier
José Leclerc
Rafael Montero
Héctor Neris
Joel Payamps
Gregory Soto
César Valdez
Catchers
Francisco Mejía
Gary Sanchez
Infielders
Willy Adames
Robinson Canó
Nelson Cruz
Rafael Devers
Wander Franco
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Manny Machado
Ketel Marte
Jeremy Peña
Jean Segura
Outfielders
Teoscar Hernández
Eloy Jiménez
Julio Rodríguez
Juan Soto
Great Britain
Pitchers
Donovan Benoit
Malik Binns
Richard Brereton
Daniel Cooper
Jake Esch
Chavez Fernander
Ian Gibaut
Gunnar Groen
Joseph King
Ryan Long
McKenzie Mills
Akeel Morris
Branden Noriega
Cam Opp
Michael Petersen
Michael Roth
Andre Scrubb
Jack Seppings
Matteo Sollecito
Graham Spraker
Tahnaj Thomas
Tyler Viza
Alex Webb
Vance Worley
Catchers
Ural Forbes
Harry Ford
Infielders
Lucius Fox
BJ Murray Jr.
Nick Ward
Justin Wylie
Outfielders
Alex Crosby
D’Shawn Knowles
Matt Koperniak
Anfernee Seymour
Darnell Sweeney
Trayce Thompson
Chavez Young
Israel
Pitchers
Jake Bird
Richard Bleier
Daniel Federman
Jake Fishman
Brandon Gold
Colton Gordon
Andrew Gross
Jake Kalish
Rob Kaminsky
Alex Katz
Adam Kolarek
Evan Kravetz
Dean Kremer
Shlomo Lipetz
Jake Miednik
Kyle Molnar
Bubby Rossman
Jacob Steinmetz
Robert Stock
Joey Wagman
Zack Weiss
Josh Wolf
Catchers
Jakob Goldfarb
Ryan Lavarnway
Garrett Stubbs
Infielders
Zack Gelof
Spencer Horwitz
Ty Kelly
Assaf Lowengart
Noah Mendlinger
Matt Mervis
Danny Valencia
Michael Wielansky
Outfielders
Alex Dickerson
Joc Pederson
Italy
Pitchers
Vincenzo Aiello
Glenn Albanese Jr.
Alex Bassani
Joe Biagini
Matteo Bocchi
Ryan Castellani
Tiago Da Silva
Alessandro Ercolani
Nick Fanti
Matt Festa
Sam Gaviglio
Matt Harvey
Joe LaSorsa
Braxton Lorenzini
Joey Marciano
Brian Marconi
Vinny Nittoli
Andre Pallante
Jeffrey Passantino
Nicolo Pinazzi
Claudio Scotti
Mitchell Stumpo
Vin Timpanelli
Michele Vassalotti
Stephen Woods Jr.
Catchers
Vito Friscia
Alberto Mineo
Dominic Miroglio
Brett Sullivan
Infielders
David Fletcher
Robel García
Nicky Lopez
Miles Mastrobuoni
Vinnie Pasquantino
John Valente
Outfielders
Ben DeLuzio
Dominic Fletcher
Sal Frelick
Japan
Pitchers
Yu Darvish
Shota Imanaga
Hiromi Itoh
Ryoji Kuribayashi
Yuki Matsui
Hiroya Miyagi
Taisei Ota
Roki Sasaki
Hiroto Takahashi
Keiji Takahashi
Shosei Togo
Yuki Udagawa
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Atsuki Yuasa
Two Way Players
Shohei Ohtani
Catchers
Takuya Kai
Yuhei Nakamura
Takumi Ohshiro
Infielders
Sosuke Genda
Shugo Maki
Munetaka Murakami
Takumu Nakano
Kazuma Okamoto
Ukyo Shuto
Tetsuto Yamada
Hotaka Yamakawa
Outfielders
Kensuke Kondoh
Lars Nootbaar
Seiya Suzuki
Masataka Yoshida
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Pitchers
Mike Bolsenbroek
Dennis Burgersdijk
Jiorgeny Casimiri
Jaydenn Estanista
Dylan Farley
Wendell Floranus
Arij Fransen
Lars Huijer
Ryan Huntington
Kenley Jansen
Jair Jurrjens
Antwone Kelly
Kevin Kelly
Shairon Martis
Eric Mendez
Scott Prins
Pedro Strop
Juan Carlos Sulbaran
Franklin Van Gurp
Derek West
Tom de Blok
Aaron de Groot
Catchers
Sicnarf Loopstok
Dashenko Ricardo
Chadwick Tromp
Infielders
Xander Bogaerts
Didi Gregorius
Dwayne Kemp
Richie Palacios
Juremi Profar
Jonathan Schoop
Sharlon Schoop
Andrelton Simmons
Zander Wiel
Outfielders
Wladimir Balentien
Roger Bernadina
Ray-Patrick Didder
Josh Palacios
Korea
Pitchers
Woo Suk Go
Been Gwak
Cheol Wong Jeong
Wooyoung Jung
Kwang Hyun Kim
Won Jung Kim
Yun Sik Kim
Young Pyo Ko
Chang Mo Koo
Eui Lee Lee
Yongchan Lee
Se Woong Park
Hyeong Jun So
Tae-in Won
Hyeon-Jong Yang
Catchers
Ji Young Lee
Euiji Yang
Infielders
Jeong Choi
Tommy Edman
Baekho Kang
Ha-Seong Kim
Hyseong Kim
Ji Hwan Oh
ByungHo Park
Outfielders
Ji Hoon Choi
Hyun Soo Kim
Jung Hoo Lee
Sung Bum Na
Hae-Min Park
Kunwoo Park
Mexico
Pitchers
Erubiel Armenta
Javier Assad
Manny Barreda
Victor Castaneda
Luis Cessa
Jesus Cruz
Giovanny Gallegos
Felipe Gonzalez
Adrián Martínez
Oliver Pérez
Roel Ramírez
Alan Rangel
Gerardo Reyes
Wilmer Rios
JoJo Romero
Jake Sanchez
Patrick Sandoval
Julio Urías
José Urquidy
César Vargas
Taijuan Walker
Samuel Zazueta
Catchers
Austin Barnes
Alejandro Kirk
Infielders
Jonathan Aranda
Joey Meneses
Isaac Paredes
Rowdy Tellez
Alan Trejo
Luis Urías
Roberto Valenzuela
Outfielders
Randy Arozarena
Jose Cardona
Jarren Duran
Alek Thomas
Alex Verdugo
Nicaragua
Pitchers
Joaquin Acuna
Leo Crawford
Fidencio Flores
Kevin Gadea
Osman Gutierrez
Duque Hebbert
Jonathan Loáisiga
Ronald Medrano
Erasmo Ramírez
JC Ramírez
Roniel Raudes
Carlos Rodriguez
Carlos Teller
Junior Tellez
Rodney Theophile
Catchers
Rodolfo Bone
Melvin Novoa
Infielders
Benjamin Alegria
Alex Blandino
Cheslor Cuthbert
Steven Leyton
Ivan Marin
Elian Miranda
Juan Montes
Milkar Perez
Wuillians Vasquez
Outfielders
Isaac Benard
Sandy Bermudez
Dwight Britton
Norlando Valle
Panama
Pitchers
Harold Arauz
Alberto Baldonado
Jaime Barría
Miguel Cienfuegos
Randall Delgado
Paolo Espino
Steven Fuentes
James Gonzalez
Severino González
Javy Guerra
Alberto Guerrero
Matt Hardy
Justin Lawrence
Carlos Luna
Humberto Mejía
Andy Otero
Wilfredo Pereira
Davis Romero
Catchers
Erasmo Caballero
Iván Herrera
Infielders
Jonathan Araúz
Christian Bethancourt
Jose Caballero
Gerald Chin
Allen Córdoba
Edgar Munoz
Rubén Tejada
Joshwan Wright
Outfielders
Luis Castillo
L.J. Jones
Rodrigo Orozco
Jose Ramos
Jahdiel Santamaria
Jhonny Santos
Puerto Rico
Pitchers
Jonathan Bermudez
José Berríos
Alex Claudio
Fernando Cruz
José De León
Alexis Díaz
Edwin Díaz
Jose Espada
Dominic Hamel
Jorge López
Anthony Maldonado
Jovani Moran
Nicholas Padilla
Emilio Pagán
Luis Quinones
Yacksel Ríos
Dereck Rodríguez
Héctor Santiago
Marcus Stroman
Duane Underwood Jr.
Catchers
Martín Maldonado
MJ Melendez
Christian Vázquez
Infielders
Javier Báez
Edwin Díaz
Enrique Hernández
Francisco Lindor
Vimael Machín
Jose Miranda
Emmanuel Rivera
Neftali Soto
Outfielders
Henry Ramos
Eddie Rosario
Nelson Velázquez
United States
Pitchers
Jason Adam
Daniel Bard
David Bednar
Kyle Freeland
Kendall Graveman
Merrill Kelly
Lance Lynn
Nick Martinez
Miles Mikolas
Adam Ottavino
Ryan Pressly
Brooks Raley
Brady Singer
Adam Wainwright
Devin Williams
Catchers
Kyle Higashioka
J.T. Realmuto
Will Smith
Infielders
Pete Alonso
Tim Anderson
Nolan Arenado
Paul Goldschmidt
Trea Turner
Bobby Witt Jr.
Outfielders
Mookie Betts
Jeff McNeil
Cedric Mullins
Kyle Schwarber
Mike Trout
Kyle Tucker
Venezuela
Pitchers
José Alvarado
Silvino Bracho
Endrys Briceno
Max Castillo
Jhoulys Chacín
Enmanuel De Jesus
Jhonathan Diaz
Edwin Escobar
Luis Garcia
Norwith Gudino
Carlos Hernández
Darwinzon Hernandez
Elieser Hernandez
Pablo López
Jesús Luzardo
Andres Mchado
Germán Márquez
Martín Pérez
José Quijada
Eduardo Rodriguez
José Ruiz
Ranger Suárez
Anthony Vizcaya
Catchers
Robinson Chirinos
Omar Narváez
Salvador Perez
Infielders
Jose Altuve
Luis Arraez
Eduardo Escobar
Andrés Giménez
Luis Rengifo
Miguel Rojas
Eugenio Suárez
Gleyber Torres
Outfielders
Ronald Acuña Jr.
David Peralta
Anthony Santander
Designated Hitter
Miguel Cabrera
Past Winners of the World Baseball Classic
2006 – Japan
2009 – Japan
2013 – Dominican Republic
2017 – United States
Want all MLB all the time? Get MLB EXTRA INNINGS to get the out-of-market games you need to see.
Top World Baseball Classic Questions
When is the next World Baseball Classic?
After the 2023 event, the next World Baseball Classic should take place in 2027.
When does the World Baseball Classic start?
World Baseball Classic 2023 starts on March 8 and runs through March 2, 2023.
Who won the last World Baseball Classic?
The U.S. won the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Where is the World Baseball Classic 2023?
The venues hosting World Baseball Classic 2023 are:
- Intercontinental Baseball Stadium (Taichung, Taiwan)
- Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)
- Chase Field (Phoenix, AZ, USA)
- loanDepot Park (Miami, FL, USA)
How often is the World Baseball Classic?
The event is supposed to take place every four years – like the Olympics or World Cup – but the 2021 event was cancelled, so there was seven years between the last event (2017) and this year’s event (2023).
Looking for more baseball content? Check our MLB Season Guide to keep up with schedules, teams, mascots and more.
DIRECTV Insider brings you our views on what’s happening in streaming, t.v., movies and sports. Companies and persons mentioned are not necessarily associated with and do not necessarily endorse DIRECTV. We will disclose sponsored content on our site when we show it to you, and some of the links on the site may be ads or affiliate links which means DIRECTV may earn compensation from your purchases.