Six teams will compete at Mexico City’s Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas, Guillermo Ramirez, the commissioner of the BCL Americas announced Tuesday.
Nicaragua’s Tigres de Chinandega, the Titanes de Florida from Puerto Rico’s Liga de Beisbol Superior Doble ‘A’, and the LMB’s Diablos Rojos del Mexico will play in Group A, while Cuba’s Lenadores de Las Tunas, the American Association’s Kane County Cougars, and Curacao’s Santa Maria Pirates will play in Group B. The BCL Americas is a tournament organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the sport’s worldwide governing body.
The announcements were made at a press conference streamed live via the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol‘s YouTube and Facebook pages that included the presidents of the baseball federations of Curacao, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, the presidents of Cuba’s Serie Nacional, the American Association, and the LMB, as well as the general manager of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico.
The event, which was first held in 2023, is poised for growth, Ramirez said.
“There are a couple of leagues asking to participate. That is… is very fortunate for us, but also for you. There are countries that want to participate and that are currently on the waiting list for possible growth in the next few years,” Ramirez said in Spanish, noting that parallel Baseball Champions Leagues are being played in Europe and Asia with the intention of ultimately crowning a worldwide champion.
The group play portion of the 2025 BCL Americas will run from April 8-10, with each team playing two games. On April 11, the teams that finished second in each group will face the team that finished second in the opposite group, with the winner of that game advancing to face a group winner in the semifinals, which will be played on April 12. The championship game will be played on April 13. A full schedule is at the bottom of this story.
“This is a larger event than we could have ever imagined,” said Josh Schaub, the American Association commissioner. His league’s Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks won the inaugural BCL Americas in 2023. “We understand that in 2023 we were a little unknown on the international stage and probably the underdog coming in. We know that’s no longer the case. …We are honored to be on the international stage and very looking forward to competing with the great teams here with us. April cannot come soon enough[.]”
In a recorded message, World Baseball Softball Confederation President Ricardo Fraccari said, “This competition, without a doubt, will allow clubs to strengthen their brands at an international level and will help athletes to improve their visibility.”
The event will be played at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City, home of the 2024 LMB champion Diablos Rojos del Mexico. Mexico and the LMB have hosted both editions of the BCL Americas, with the 2023 event having been held at Parque Kukulkan Alamo in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, the home of the LMB’s Leones de Yucatan.
2024 Baseball Champions League Americas Schedule
All games played at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City
April 8
2 p.m. – Game 1 – Kane County Cougars vs. Santa Maria Pirates
7:30 p.m. – Game 2 – Titanes de Florida vs. Diablos Rojos de Mexico
April 9
2 p.m. – Game 3 – Santa Maria Pirates vs. Lenadores de Las Tunas
7:30 p.m. – Game 4 – Tigres de Chinandega vs. Titanes de Florida
April 10
2 p.m. – Game 5 – Lenadores de Las Tunas vs. Kane County Cougars
7:30 p.m. – Game 6 – Diablos Rojos del Mexico vs. Tigres de Chinandega
April 11
2 p.m. – Game 7 – Group B Third Place vs. Group A Second Place
7:30 p.m. – Game 8 – Group A Third Place vs. Group B Second Place
April 12
2 p.m. – Game 9 – Game 7 Winner vs. Group A First Place
7:30 p.m. – Game 10 – Game 9 Winner vs. Group B First Place
April 13
2 p.m. – Championship Game – Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner
Photo: A general view of Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City, Mexico, which will host the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas. (Photo by Jaime Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images)
