On Tuesday, the second official edition of the Baseball Champions League gets underway at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City.
If you’ve never heard of the Baseball Champions League, here are five things you should know about this event.
1. What Is the Baseball Champions League?
The 2026 Baseball Champions League will pit the champions of four leagues around the Americas – the American Association, Nicaragua’s Campeonato German Pomares, Mexico’s Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, and Cuba’s Serie Nacional – and the farm team of the CTBC Brothers of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League against each other, with each team playing the four other teams once during round robin play.
2. What Is the Format of the Event?
There will be five days of round robin play starting March 24, with each team playing the other four teams once. The top two teams will square off in the championship game on March 30. A full schedule is at the bottom of this post.
Last year, there were six teams participating, divided into two groups and playing two games within their group, with all six teams advancing to the elimination round. This year, each team is guaranteed four games, with the Diablos Rojos playing all four games in the afternoon or evening to boost attendance. Only the top two teams will advance to the final.
3. Which Teams Are Playing in the 2026 Baseball Champions League?
The tournament is again hosted by the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, the two-time defending champions of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. The Diablos hosted the first official edition of the tournament last spring, and the LMB’s Leones de Yucatan hosted the test event at Parque Kukulkan Alamo in September 2023.
The Kane County Cougars, the 2025 American Association champion, will be representing the midwest’s independent league, while the Cocodrilos de Matanzas will represent Cuba’s Serie Nacional, the Dantos de Managua are representing the Campeonato German Pomares of Nicaragua, and the CTBC Brothers minor league team will represent the Chinese Professional Baseball League.
Venezuela’s Liga Mayor de Beisbol Profesional was announced as a participant, but has since been dropped from the schedule.
4. Do These Leagues Have a Comparable Level of Play?
Well, that’s at least partially why the Baseball Champions League exists – to enable leagues (and fans, scouts, and so forth) to compare the level of play across various leagues in the Americas and elsewhere. In the September 2023 Baseball Champions League Americas, played in Merida, Yucatan, the American Association’s Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks won the test event, beating Colombia’s Caimanes de Barranquilla in the championship game.
Last year, the LMB’s Diablos romped through the BCL Americas, going undefeated with a +29 run differential in four games and beating Cuba’s Lenadores de Las Tunas 6-1 in the championship game.
It would seem, based on the small sample size of the previous two events, that the Serie Nacional, Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, and American Association are broadly comparable. Last year’s Campeonato German Pomares representative, the Tigres de Chinandega, only beat the Titanes de Florida of Puerto Rico’s Liga de Beisbol Doble-A, objectively the worst team in last year’s event.
The mystery this year is where the CTBC Brothers farm club will fall amongst the field.
5. Where Can I Watch the 2026 Baseball Champions League?
GameTime, the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s official streaming platform, will stream every game live. A full tournament pass is available for US$12.99, while a Championship Day pass is priced at US$9.99. Daily access for each round-robin day is available for US$7.99.
The 2026 Baseball Champions League will also be broadcast on television. ESPN will broadcast all 11 games in Mexico, while Canal 13 VIVA will carry the games in Nicaragua, Meridiano Televisión will televise the event in Venezuela, and Tele Rebelde will carry the games in Cuba.
2026 Baseball Champions League Schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time
All games at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu, Mexico City
March 24
Noon – Dantos de Managua vs. CTBC Brothers
9 p.m. – Kane County Cougars vs. Diablos Rojos del Mexico
March 25
Noon – CTBC Brothers vs. Cocodrilos de Matanzas
9 p.m. – Diablos Rojos del Mexico vs. Dantos de Managua
March 26
Noon – CTBC Brothers vs. Kane County Cougars
9 p.m. – Cocodrilos de Matanzas vs. Dantos de Managua
March 27
Noon – Kane County Cougars vs. Cocodrilos de Matanzas
9 p.m. – Diablos Rojos del Mexico vs. CTBC Brothers
March 28
Noon – Dantos de Managua vs. Kane County Cougars
6 p.m. – Cocodrilos de Matanzas vs. Diablos Rojos del Mexico
March 29
4 p.m. – Championship Game
Photo: The view from the outfield bleachers at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. (Photo by Leif Skodnick/World Baseball Network)
