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Houston to host World Baseball Classic rounds in 2026
AUSTIN (KXAN) — In 2026, Houston will have the eyes of the entire sports world on it and not just for the FIFA World Cup.
Minute Maid Park and the Houston Astros were selected Thursday as hosts for the opening round and the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. It's the first time in WBC history that games will be held in Houston, and it's one of two US cities to host games with Miami as the other. Opening round games will also be in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Toyko, Japan.
"Houston is a global city with the best baseball fans, and we are proud to welcome fans from across the globe to watch international competition at Minute Maid Park," Astros owner Jim Crane said.
Houston will host teams in Pool B which have yet to be determined, and then the top two teams from that pool will play the top two teams from Pool A.
Sixteen teams have already qualified for the 2026 field by their finish in 2023. The last four teams will be settled during a qualifying tournament in 2025. Teams already in the 2026 tournament are the US, Japan, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, South Korea, Czechia, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and Australia.
The WBC hits downtown Houston in March, and then in June the World Cup is in town at NRG Stadium.
The championship game will again be staged at LoanDepot Park in Miami. Japan beat the United States 3-2 in the 2023 championship. Japan is currently the top-ranked international team in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, followed by Mexico, the US, South Korea and Chinese Taipei.