All roads point to Miami for the return of the World Baseball Classic 2023. For the title, which is presently held by the United States after it defeated Puerto Rico at Dodger Stadium in 2017, twenty teams will compete. The World Baseball Classic’s 20-team field is the biggest it has ever had. Only 16 teams have competed in the prior four iterations.
The Dominican Republic, the United States, and Japan are the heavy favourites to win this year’s competition due to the extremely competitive field. Japan is the only nation to have won the WBC twice, in 2006 and 2009. Considering that the previous four title games were held on the American West Coast, this year’s final, which is taking place in Miami, has a distinctive flavour.
Games will also be held in Chinese Taipei, Japan, and the United States. Pool C and Pool D will be held at Chase Field in Arizona and LoanDepot Park in Miami, respectively. Pool A and Pool B will be held at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium and the Tokyo Dome, respectively.
The Dominican Republic is having one of the most loaded rosters in recent memory in terms of players to watch out for. Among its position players are Rafael Devers, Wander Franco, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Julio Rodriguez, and Juan Soto. There will be players like Nolan Arenado, Mookie Betts, and Mike Trout in the US. Shohei Ohtani is, without a doubt, the star of Japan.
These three are the clear favourites and they’re all in separate pools, despite the fact that every team has a ton of exciting talent, some of which many will be seeing for the first time. Can they be ousted by any team? Time will only reveal.
What you need to know about watching the 2023 World Baseball Classic is as follows:
How to watch the World Baseball Classic schedule 2023 Live:
Viewers around the world can watch the action live on the following channels and here for free:
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Live Broadcast: World Baseball Classic 2023 Live
When is the World Baseball Classic?
- Pool play:Â March 7-15
- Quarterfinals:Â March 15-18
- Semifinals:Â March 19-20
- Championship:Â March 21
World Baseball Classic games will begin late on March 7, Eastern Time, though it will actually be March 8 at the site of the game in Chinese Taipei. The tournament runs through the final on March 21 in Miami.
World Baseball Classic 2023 pools
The World Baseball Classic is broken into four pools of five teams, with the hosts all playing in their home countries.
Pool A —Â Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium (Taichung, Chinese Taipei)
- Chinese Taipei
- Netherlands
- Cuba
- Italy
- Panama
Pool B — Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan)
- Japan
- South Korea
- Australia
- China
- Czech Republic
Pool C — Chase Field (Phoenix, Arizona)
- USA
- Mexico
- Colombia
- Canada
- Great Britain
Pool D — LoanDepot Park (Miami, Florida)
- Puerto Rico
- Dominican Republic
- Venezuela
- Israel
- Nicaragua
World Baseball Classic 2023 schedule
The World Baseball Classic pool schedules are already set, starting with Pool A on March 8 (March 7 in the United States). The games through every round will be hosted on the Fox family of networks in the U.S.
Note: All times are U.S./Canada ET
Pool A (Chinese Taipei)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 7 | 11 p.m. | Netherlands 4, Cuba 2 | FS1 |
| March 8 | 6 a.m. | Panama 12, Chinese Taipei 5 | FS2 |
| March 8 | 11 p.m. | Netherlands 3, Panama 1 | FS2 |
| March 9 | 6 a.m. | Italy 6, Cuba 3 (10 innings) | Tubi |
| March 9 | 11:30 p.m. | Cuba 13, Panama 4 | FS1 |
| March 10 | 6 a.m. | Chinese Taipei 11, Italy 7 | Tubi |
| March 10 | 11 p.m. | Panama 2, Italy 0 | FS1 |
| March 11 | 6 a.m. | Chinese Taipei 9, Netherlands 5 | FS2 |
| March 11 | 11 p.m. | Cuba 7, Chinese Taipei 1 | FS2 |
| March 12 | 7 a.m. | Italy 7, Netherlands 1 | FS2 |
Pool B (Tokyo)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 8 | 10 p.m. | Australia 8, Korea 7 | FS1 |
| March 9 | 5 a.m. | Japan 8, China 1 | FS2 |
| March 9 | 10 p.m. | Czech Republic 8, China 5 | Tubi |
| March 10 | 5 a.m. | Japan 13, Korea 4 | FS2 |
| March 10 | 10 p.m. | Australia 12, China 2 (7 innings) | FS2 |
| March 11 | 5 a.m. | Japan 10, Czech Republic 2 | FS1 |
| March 11 | 10 p.m. | Korea 7, Czech Republic 3 | FS1 |
| March 12 | 6 a.m. | Japan 7, Australia 1 | FS1 |
| March 12 | 11 p.m. | Australia 8, Czech Republic 3 | FS2 |
| March 13 | 6 a.m. | Korea 22, China 2 (5 innings) | FS2 |
Pool C (Phoenix)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Colombia 5, Mexico 4 (10 innings) | Fox |
| March 11 | 10 p.m. | USA 6, Great Britain 2 | Fox |
| March 12 | 3 p.m. | Canada 18, Great Britain 8 (7 innings) | FS1 |
| March 12 | 10 p.m. | Mexico 11, USA 5 | FS1 |
| March 13 | 3 p.m. | Great Britain 7, Colombia 5 | FS2 |
| March 13 | 10 p.m. | USA 12, Canada 1 (7 innings) | FS1 |
| March 14 | 3 p.m. | Canada 5, Colombia 0 | FS2 |
| March 14 | 10 p.m. | Mexico 2, Great Britain 1 | FS1 |
| March 15 | 3 p.m. | Mexico vs. Canada | FS2 |
| March 15 | 10 p.m. | USA vs. Colombia | FS1 |
Pool D (Miami)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 11 | Noon | Puerto Rico 9, Nicaragua 1 | FS2 |
| March 11 | 7 p.m. | Venezuela 5, Dominican Republic 1 | FS1 |
| March 12 | Noon | Israel 3, Nicaragua 1 | FS2 |
| March 12 | 7 p.m. | Venezuela 9, Puerto Rico 6 | FS1 |
| March 13 | Noon | Dominican Republic 6, Nicaragua 1 | FS2 |
| March 13 | 7 p.m. | Puerto Rico 10, Israel 0 | FS1 |
| March 14 | Noon | Venezuela 4, Nicaragua 1 | FS2 |
| March 14 | 7 p.m. | Dominican Republic 10, Israel 0 | FS2 |
| March 15 | Noon | Venezuela 5, Israel 1 | FS2 |
| March 15 | 7 p.m. | Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic | FS2 |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | TV |
| March 15 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Cuba 4, Australia 3 | FS2 |
| March 16 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Italy vs. Japan | FS2 |
| March 17 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool C runner-up vs. Venezuela | FS1 |
| March 18 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool D runner-up vs. Pool C winner | Fox |
Semifinals
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | Channel |
| March 19 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Cuba vs. Quarterfinal 3 winner | FS1 |
| March 20 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Quarterfinal 2 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner | FS1 |
Championship
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | Channel |
| March 21 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner | FS1 |
