The defending WBC champions will continue its title defense into the quarterfinals tonight.
Team Japan, who has won the World Baseball Classic three times, is currently undefeated going into today’s game with a 4-0 record and wins against Chinese Tapei, Australia, Korea and Czechia. The “Samurai Japan” roster is led by global superstar Shohei Ohtani and features a mix of MLB standouts and top talent from Nippon Professional Baseball.
Venezuela counters with a star-studded lineup of its own, headlined by Ronald Acuña Jr. With a deep group of major league hitters capable of changing the game with one swing, Venezuela has the offensive depth to challenge any pitching staff in the field, including Japan’s. As Pool D runners-up, Venezuela went 3-1 in the group stage, only falling to Pool D winners Dominican Republic.
2026 world baseball classic: what to know
- Who: Japan vs. Venezuela (quarterfinal)
- When: March 14, 9 p.m. ET
- Where: loanDepot Park (Miami, Florida)
- Channel: FOX
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
The winner of tonight’s winner-take-all quarterfinal will advance to Monday’s semifinal against the winner of Puerto Rico vs. Italy.
Japan-Venezuela WBC 2026 start time
The World Baseball Classic quarterfinal between Puerto Rico and Italy is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET today, March 14.
How to watch Japan vs. Venezuela for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching baseball live for free — its five-day free trial includes FOX (and FS1, where the rest of the WBC will air). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $59.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
Sling TV is another affordable way to stream live TV; its Select plan includes FS1 and FOX, and starts at $19.99/month.
Japan vs. Venezuela pitchers
Ranger Suarez will start for Venezuela, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the start for Japan. Both pitchers will start their second games of the World Baseball Classic.
World Baseball Classic 2026 key dates
- QF 4: Japan vs. Venezuela – March 14, 9 p.m. ET (FOX)
- SF 1: Dominican Republic vs. United States – 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.
