Before the MLB season begins later this month, the biggest stars in baseball will take part in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Held every three years, the World Baseball Classic is the officially-sanctioned world championship that will also serve as an opportunity to qualify for the baseball tournament in the 2028 Summer Olympics for two teams from the Americas.
2026 World Baseball Classic: what to know
- When: March 5 – March 17, 2026
- Channel: FOX, FS1, FS2
- Streaming: Fubo (first five days free)
Team Japan, headlined by Shohei Ohtani, are the defending champions from the 2023 tournament; they beat Team USA, 3-2, in the final. Team USA is also back this year, with Yankees superstar Aaron Judge serving as captain and Mets rookie starting pitcher Nolan McLean also on the roster.
Every game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic will be televised; here’s what you need to know to make sure you won’t miss a moment.
When is the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
The 2026 World Baseball Classic begins on March 5 and wraps up with the championship game on March 17.
What channels is the World Baseball Classic on?
The World Baseball Classic will air across FOX, FS1 and FS2.
How to watch the 2026 World Baseball Classic for free
If you don’t have cable, the best way to tune into as much of the World Baseball Classic as possible is by using a live TV streaming service.
Fubo is one of our favorites — and one we especially recommend to sports fans. The service offers a number of live TV plans that include a free trial all of the channels you’ll need for the World Baseball Classic.
Both the Pro plan ($48.99 for your first month) and the Sports + News package ($45.99 for your first month) come with five day free trials.
Where is the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
The World Baseball Classic will be played in four stadiums: Hiram Bithorn Stadium (San Juan, Puerto Rico); Daikin Park (Houston, Texas); Tokyo Dome (Tokyo, Japan); and LoanDepot Park (Miami, Florida).
The Houston and Miami stadiums will host the knockout rounds, with Miami hosting the championship game.
2026 World Baseball Classic teams
The 2026 World Baseball Classic follows the 20-team format first used in 2023. Below, check out all of the teams and click through to see full rosters.
2026 World Baseball Classic schedule
The WorldBaseball Classic consists of a round-robin pool stage, where the top two teams in each pool advances into the knockouts. From there, a bracket is set for quarterfinals, semifinals and one championship game on March 17. Below, find Team USA’s pool stage schedule and when to expect the knockout games, but you can check out a full schedule here.
- USA vs. Brazil – March 6, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Great Britain vs. USA – March 7, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Mexico vs. USA – March 9, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Italy vs. USA – March 10, 9 p.m. ET (FS1)
- QF 1: Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner – March 13, 6:30 p.m. ET (FS2)
- QF 2: Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B winner – March 13, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
- QF 3: Pool B runner-up vs. Pool A winner – March 14, 3 p.m. ET (FS1)
- QF 4: Pool D runner-up vs. Pool C winner – March 14, 9 p.m. ET (FOX)
- SF 1: QF1 winner vs. QF2 winner – March 15, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)
- SF 2: QF3 winner vs. QF4 winner – March 16, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)
- Championship – March 17, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.