On Thursday, MLB.com’s David Venn wrote that Juan Francisco Puello Herrera, the president of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CPBC), told MLB.com he hoped to expand the number of participating teams in the Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2026. Five teams are competing in the 2025 edition of the tournament at Estadio Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.
Puello Herrera mentioned the possibility of adding a team from South Korea and bringing back an organization from Japan. The Japan Breeze, a team of players from Japan’s industrial and independent minor leagues, was invited to the 2025 event, which begins on Friday afternoon and ends with the championship game on February 7. Japan’s inclusion in 2025 is for the first time in Caribbean Series history.
According to a Facebook post by Cacique Sport Nicaragua II on Thursday evening, Puello Herrera confirmed that teams from South Korea and Japan would be included in the 2026 Caribbean Series. The post gave no further details besides that adding South Korea would increase the number of teams from five to six. The four existing members of the CPBC are the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Adding a team from South Korea to the Caribbean Series would help baseball continue to grow internationally and start new rivalries in the event. Although fans in the United States and Latin America are unfamiliar with the Japan Breeze, their inclusion in the event could spark new interest from fans in Japan and around the world.
The 2026 Caribbean Series was initially supposed to be held at Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This past June, the CPBC announced that Puerto Rico would host the series in 2029 instead.
Additional information about the 2026 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela, can be found here – https://worldbaseball.com/venezuela-to-replace-puerto-rico-as-2026-caribbean-series-host/
This year’s Caribbean Series games are available in English on MLB Network and ESPN+.
CLICK HERE for the entire 2025 Caribbean Series schedule.
