Great Britain announced Bradley Marcelino as the manager for their senior national team at the 2025 Baseball European Championship and the 2026 World Baseball Classic on April 28.
British Baseball Hall of Fame member and GB Baseball stalwart, Bradley Marcelino, has been appointed as Olympic Manager and Head Coach for the GB Baseball senior national team.https://t.co/ThB91vUBGb pic.twitter.com/zPgMXrzxnp
— Great Britain Baseball (@GB_Baseball) April 28, 2025
Marcelino, 43, a native of Essex, England, currently serves as the hitting coordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks and minor league hitting coordinator with High-A Hillsboro.
He was previously the hitting coach at Triple-A Tacoma in the Seattle Mariners organization during the 2022-23 seasons before joining the Diamondbacks at Low-A Visalia for 2024.
Thirty-five players born in England have appeared in Major League Baseball.
“It’s a great honor to be Great Britain’s national team manager as we get to compete on the world stage,” Marcelino said on the British Baseball Federation website. “We have come a long way since my days as a player, and I’d like to thank all of my teammates, coaches, staff, and families who’ve helped elevate this programme. We are not done, and I look forward to taking this program to the next level.”
Marcelino coached at the University of San Diego from 2011-17, first as a volunteer assistant and director of baseball operations, then as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator beginning in 2012.
During his tenure, he coached five consecutive top-100 Major League Baseball Draft picks, including Kris Bryant (No. 2 overall – Chicago Cubs), Connor Joe (No. 39 – Pittsburgh Pirates), Kyle Holder (No. 30 – New York Yankees), Bryson Brigman (No. 87 – Seattle Mariners), and Riley Adams (No. 99 – Toronto Blue Jays) between 2013-17. Two of those first-rounders were previously undrafted out of high school.
Marcelino has also served as a coach for Great Britain at the 2017 WBC Qualifier, the 2019 and 2021 European Championships, and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
He is the son of former Great Britain national team player Oscar Marcelino.
Bradley Marcelino was inducted into the British Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018 and holds the record for most European Baseball Championship appearances for Great Britain, playing in the 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, and 2012 tournaments.
He will be the third manager of Italian and South American descent at the 2026 WBC, joining USA manager Mark DeRosa and Italy manager Francisco Cervelli, with all three leading teams in Pool B at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas from March 6-11.
Great Britain will compete against Italy, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States during pool play.
According to the BBF website, Marcelino will also join the Performance Management Group led by Gary Anderson, Performance Director and Olympic Team Leader at BaseballSoftballUK.
Marcelino could attract attention from Major League Baseball front offices if he leads Great Britain to the quarterfinals, navigating a difficult pool featuring the United States, Italy, and Mexico.
Former Great Britain manager Drew Spencer resigned from all senior events on March 20.
Drew Spencer has resigned as Great Britain Baseball Senior National Team Head Coach to concentrate on a future career with the @Yankees .
Drew has overseen the most sustained period of success for the national programme winning European silver medals and leading the team to a… pic.twitter.com/jwtzvayR6g
— British Baseball Federation (@BritishBaseball) March 20, 2025
Spencer will focus on his coaching career with the New York Yankees organization as a Complex Coordinator and Minor League Defensive Coach.
He led Great Britain to its first-ever WBC appearance in 2022, going undefeated during the qualifiers at Armin-Wolf Arena in Regensburg, Germany.
Great Britain defeated France and host Germany before topping Spain 10-9 in the final on a walk-off sacrifice fly by first baseman Alex Crosby, securing their place in Pool C at the 2023 WBC in Phoenix, Arizona.
At the 2023 WBC, Great Britain went 1-3, losing to the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and earning their lone win against Colombia on March 13. They avoided requalification by winning the head-to-head matchup with Colombia and finishing higher on Total Quality Balance, the WBSC’s run differential metric.
Under Spencer, Great Britain also captured a silver medal at the 2023 European Baseball Championship in the Czech Republic, losing 11-2 to Spain in the final.
Spencer also managed Great Britain’s Under-23 team at the 2023 European U-23 Championship in Austria, where they fell to the Netherlands 23-5 in the gold medal game.
The World Baseball Softball Confederation ranks Great Britain No. 18 in the world.
Under BBF President Richard Evans, Great Britain will aim to build on recent success heading into the 2026 WBC cycle.
“Brad has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the Great Britain programme over many years, contributing significantly to its development and performance, and we are delighted at the prospect of him taking the team to new heights during his tenure,” Evans said on the BBF website.
The 2025 European Baseball Championship, scheduled for September 20-27 in Senago, Italy; Rotterdam, Netherlands; and Borgerhout, Belgium, will offer the BBF a chance to evaluate additional talent for the 2026 roster.
Great Britain joins Israel, the Netherlands, Italy, and the Czech Republic as returning WBC participants from the WBSC Europe region.
Great Britain WBC Roster Outlook
The BBF will scout players competing during the 2025 seasons across professional leagues such as Nippon Professional Baseball, Major League Baseball and its minor league affiliates, the independent leagues in Canada and the United States, the Korean Baseball Organization, the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, and the 2025 British National Baseball League season, alongside the Caribbean and Australian winter leagues.
The British National Baseball League is operated by the BBF, with league statistics available on the British Baseball stat page.
World Baseball Classic eligibility rules are posted on the official World Baseball Classic site.
Players from British territories and the Bahamas are eligible to represent Great Britain in international events.
Key offensive players who could return from the 2023 WBC roster additions include Harry Ford, Trayce Thompson, Alex Crosby, D’Shawn Knowles, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Darnell Sweeney, Sebastian Walcott, Arjun Nimmala, Chavez Young, BJ Murray, Lucius Fox, Jaden Rudd, Nick Ward, Akil Baddoo, Shamoy Christopher, Ian Lewis, and Elijah Dunham.
Other players who could emerge for the 2026 roster based on recent U-23 performances include Ollie Thompson, PJ Conlon, Ben Pearson, Joseph Friend, Reece Long, Zach Stroman, Alex Ullman, Daniel Gibbon, and Jonathan Cramman. These players bring additional depth and developmental promise as Great Britain builds toward Pool B play at Daikin Park.
Key pitchers on the BBF radar for 2026 include Michael Petersen, Chavez Fernander, Daniel Cooper, Ryan Long, Graham Spraker, Tyler Viza, Vance Worley, Ian Gibaut, Michael Roth, Jack Leiter, Mark Leiter Jr., Kumar Rocker, Triston McKenzie, Dylan Covey, Andre Scrubb, Austin Brice, and Blake Taylor.
WBSC Rankings Outline
Japan is ranked at No. 1 in the World Baseball Rankings and will play in their sixth WBC. Chinese Taipei hails at No. 2. and will play in their sixth event. Venezuela at No. 3 and will appear for the sixth time at the WBC. Mexico is at No. 4 and will play in their sixth WBC. The United States is at No. 5 and will appear for the sixth time in the WBC. South Korea is labeled at No. 6 and will play in their sixth WBC.
The Netherlands at No. 7 will play in the WBC for the sixth time. Panama at No. 8 will play at the event for the fourth time. Puerto Rico crawling in at No. 9 will appear for the sixth time. Cuba is at No. 10 and will appear in the sixth WBC. The Dominican Republic at No. 11 will play in their sixth event. Australia pipelines at No. 12 and will play for the sixth time at the WBC.
Colombia at No. 13 and will appear in their third WBC. Italy is at No. 14 and will play in their sixth event The Czech Republic at No. 15 will appear in their second WBC. Nicaragua is ranked at No. 16 and will appear in the WBC for the second-time.
Great Britain at No. 18 will play for the second time at the WBC. Israel is ranked at No. 19 and will play in their third WBC. Canada is at No. 22 and will play in their sixth event. Brazil is ranked at No. 23 and will play in their second WBC.
In the 2023 WBC, Nicaragua, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic played in their first event. Israel and Colombia have played in three consecutive WBC events dating back to 2017. Brazil is appearing in the WBC for the first time since 2013. Panama has played in the WBC previously in 2006, 2009 and 2023, prior to 2026.
China will not be participating for the first time in the WBC since they did not qualify in the second qualifier in Tucson, Ariz., while going 0-3. They have been in the WBC since 2006, in the event’s first year.
The teams that are playing in the 2026 WBC and are part of the WBSC Americas sector are the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. In the WBSC Europe sector, Italy, Israel, Great Britain, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands are participating in the 2026 event.
Japan, Chinese Taipei, and South Korea are in the WBSC Asia sector and Australia is in the WBSC Oceania sector.
All the other listed remaining countries have played in the WBC since its first year in 2006.
The WBC is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the sports governing body alongside Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and the WBCI, that partner in organizing the event during spring training.
If teams end up with the same record in pool play the Total Quality Balance run differential rule will be in effect for runs for and runs against alongside the head-to-head record.
2026 WBC Pool Matchups With Confirmed Dates
Pool A – Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Canada & Cuba
Venue – Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 6
Game 1 – Cuba vs. Panama
Game 2 – Puerto Rico vs. Colombia
March 7
Game 3 – Colombia vs. Canada
Game 4 – Panama vs. Puerto Rico
March 8
Game 5 – Colombia vs. Cuba
Game 6 – Panama vs. Canada
March 9
Game 7 – Colombia vs. Panama
Game 8 – Cuba vs. Puerto Rico
March 10
Game 9 – Canada vs. Puerto Rico
March 11
Game 10 – Canada vs. Cuba
Pool B – United States, Mexico, Brazil, Great Britain & Italy
Venue – Daikin Park – Houston, Texas
March 6
Game 1 – Mexico vs. Great Britain
Game 2 – United States vs. Brazil
March 7
Game 3 – Brazil vs. Italy
Game 4 – Great Britain vs. United States
March 8
Game 5 – Great Britain vs. Italy
Game 6 – Brazil vs. Mexico
March 9
Game 7 – Brazil vs. Great Britain
Game 8 – Mexico vs. United States
March 10
Game 9 – Italy vs. United States
March 11
Game 10 – Italy vs. Mexico
Pool C – Japan, Chinese Taipei, Australia, South Korea & Czech Republic
Venue – Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan
March 5
Game 1 – Chinese Taipei vs. Australia
Game 2 – Czechia vs. South Korea
March 6
Game 3 – Australia vs. Czechia
Game 4 – Japan vs. Chinese Taipei
March 7
Game 5 – Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia
Game 6 – South Korea vs. Japan
March 8
Game 7 – Chinese Taipei vs. South Korea
Game 8 – Australia vs. Japan
March 9
Game 9 – South Korea vs. Australia
March 10
Game 10 – Czechia vs. Japan
Pool D – Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Venezuela, Israel & Nicaragua
Venue – loanDepot Park – Miami, Fla.
March 6
Game 1 – Netherlands vs. Venezuela
Game 2 – Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic
March 7
Game 3 – Nicaragua vs. Netherlands
Game 4 – Israel vs. Venezuela
March 8
Game 5 – Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic
Game 6 – Nicaragua vs. Israel
March 9
Game 7 – Dominican Republic vs. Israel
Game 8 – Venezuela vs. Nicaragua
March 10
Game 9 – Israel vs. Netherlands
March 11
Game 10 – Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela
