World Baseball Classic qualification

World Baseball Classic qualification is the process that determines which nations will compete at the World Baseball Classic. Qualification takes place the year prior to the tournament, which itself is played every four years.

Currently, the World Baseball Classic's main tournament includes 20 nations, an expansion from the 16-team fields of the first four WBCs held between 2006 and 2017. For the fifth edition of the WBC, to be held in 2023, the 16 participating nations from 2017 all received automatic berths; the remaining four slots were filled by the winners and runners-up of two six-team qualifying tournaments. Therefore, twenty-eight nations enter the tournament at any point. To date, thirty nations have entered either qualifying or the main tournament, with Argentina becoming the 30th different nation to participate in a WBC event when it debuted in the qualifying round for 2023.

Unlike other international tournaments such as the Rugby World Cup, FIFA World Cup, and FIBA Basketball World Cup, the qualifying tournaments are not arranged on a regional or geographic basis.

History

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The 2006 and 2009 tournaments each had the same 16–team field, chosen by invitation. Starting with the 2013 tournament, the top 12 teams from the previous tournament qualified automatically and a qualifying round was added to determine the remaining 4 teams. The qualifiers were organized as four independent modified double-elimination tournaments featuring four teams each. The final game was winner-take-all, even if won by the team emerging from the loser's bracket. That is, the team emerging from the winner's bracket might be eliminated despite losing only one game.[1]

For the 2013 tournament, qualifying tournaments were held in late 2012. The four nations – (Canada, Chinese Taipei, Panama, and South Africa) – that had failed to win games in the 2009 tournament were joined by twelve new invited nations. Canada and Chinese Taipei won their qualifying tournaments to return to the main tournament, while Spain and Brazil qualified to make their World Baseball Classic debuts.

For 2017 qualifying, Australia, Mexico, Spain, and Brazil were relegated to the qualification stage. Previous entrants Panama and South Africa returned, joined by the other invited nations, with the exception of Thailand, who was replaced by Pakistan, who was invited following its 5th-place finish at the 2015 Asian Baseball Championship.[2]

With the fifth edition of the WBC's main tournament expanding from 16 teams to 20, there was no relegation as all 16 participating nations from 2017 were given automatic berths. The qualifying round was reorganized into two six-team tournaments, with the winners and runners-up advancing to the main event. Qualifying for the fifth WBC was originally scheduled for March 2020, with both tournaments planned to take place in Tucson, Arizona. However, the qualifiers, along with the main WBC tournament, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

When the fifth WBC was rescheduled for 2023, the qualifying round was also rescheduled and took place in September and October 2022. However, the composition of the teams changed, with Argentina replacing the Philippines, and the two tournaments were instead hosted in Regensburg, Germany, and Panama City, Panama.[4] The 2023 qualifying tournaments produced three first-time entrants to the WBC in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, and Nicaragua, while Panama earned its first trip back to the main tournament since being relegated in 2009.

Coming out of the 2023 WBC, the qualification setup will return to a relegation model similar to 2013 and 2017. The top 16 finishers from 2023 will again receive automatic bids to the 2026 WBC, while the four teams which finished in last place in their first-round pools will be relegated to the qualifying round.[5]

First appearance in qualification by team

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WBC Relegated Invitee Total
2013  Canada
 Chinese Taipei
 Panama
 South Africa
 Brazil
 Colombia
 Czech Republic
 France
 Germany
 Great Britain
 Israel
 New Zealand
 Nicaragua
 Philippines
 Spain
 Thailand
16
2017  Australia
 Mexico
 Pakistan 3
2023 None  Argentina 1
2026  China TBD TBD

National teams results in World Baseball Classic qualification

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The table is accurate through the completion of 2023 World Baseball Classic qualification.

Team Part Pld W L PCT
 Australia 1 3 3 0 1.000
 Canada 1 3 3 0 1.000
 Mexico 1 3 3 0 1.000
 Chinese Taipei 1 3 3 0 1.000
 Israel 2 6 5 1 .833
 Colombia 2 6 4 2 .666
 Brazil 3 10 6 4 .600
 Panama 3 10 6 4 .600
 Great Britain 3 10 6 4 .600
 Spain 3 10 5 5 .500
 Nicaragua 3 10 5 5 .500
 Argentina 1 4 2 2 .500
 Czech Republic 3 9 4 5 .444
 Germany 3 9 3 6 .333
 New Zealand 3 9 3 6 .333
 South Africa 3 9 3 6 .333
 Philippines 2 5 1 4 .200
 France 3 7 1 6 .143
 Thailand 1 2 0 2 .000
 Pakistan 2 4 0 4 .000

References

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  1. ^ "World Baseball Classic".
  2. ^ "World Baseball Classic Championship: History made as Pakistan book place in qualifiers". 21 September 2015.
  3. ^ Harrigan, Thomas. "World Baseball Classic qualifier games postponed". MLB.com.
  4. ^ Adler, David. "World Baseball Classic 2023 venues, pools announced". MLB.com.
  5. ^ "2023 World Baseball Classic rules and regulations". MLB.com. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
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