TUCSON, Ariz. – The final spot in the 2026 World Baseball Classic will be decided at Kino Sports Complex at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, where second-place Brazil, with a 2-1 record, will face third-place Germany, with a 1-2 record, on Thursday, March 6, at 8 p.m. EST.
Germany will send right-hander Niklas Rimmel to the mound, while Tiago Da Silva will start for Brazil.
“I’m really confident in Rimmel. He has been successful for us over the last two years in international tournaments, and as a committee, we planned for him to pitch in the fourth game of the 2025 WBC Qualifier,” Germany manager Jendrick Speer said during Wednesday’s workouts.
Rimmel has yet to pitch in the 2025 WBCQ. Da Silva has made two relief appearances, posting a 7.71 ERA over 2.1 innings. He has allowed three hits, two earned runs, two walks, and struck out one batter.
Da Silva last pitched against Germany on March 3, entering the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. He threw 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, one earned run, and one walk.
“This is important and this is a family team, we’re a bunch of brothers out there and we’re one step away from our goal and we would love nothing more than to bring this win back to Brazil,” Dante Bichette Jr. said during the workouts on Wednesday afternoon.
Germany is seeking its first-ever berth in the World Baseball Classic. Brazil is looking to qualify for the second time and return to the tournament for the first time since 2013, when they competed in Pool A at the Fukuoka Dome in Fukuoka, Japan.
Rimmel said during the Wednesday workout, “This will be the biggest game of my career going up against Brazil once I take the mound on Thursday night. I feel like Vincent Aherns is a true leader for our team since we have played together in a lot of international senior events and I trust everything he is calling for tomorrow to help us go out on top.”
Brazil Players To Watch
RP – Heitor Tokar – 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
RP – Arthur Tsujiguchi – 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1.1 IP, 1 BB
RP – Marcelo Young – 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
3B – Leonardo Reginatto – .444/.545/.667, 9 AB, 2 R, 4 H, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
2B – Lucas Rojo – .417/.417/.583, 12 AB, 3 R, 5 H, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 K
LF – Victor Mascai – .364/.417/.545, 11 AB, 1 R, 4 H, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Germany’s offense has a .221 batting average with a .405 on-base percentage and a .337 slugging percentage in 86 at-bats. The team has scored 19 runs, recorded 19 hits, hit seven doubles and one home run, driven in 18 RBIs, stolen three bases, drawn 23 walks, and struck out 25 times.
Germany’s pitching staff has a 7.36 ERA in three games, throwing 22 innings. The team has allowed 33 hits and 18 earned runs while hitting five batters, walking six, and striking out 19.
Germany Players To Watch
RP – Jordan Martinson – 0.00 ERA, 2 G, 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 HB, 1 BB, 2 K
RP – Joe Cedano-De Leon – 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
RP – Dalton Von Schamann – 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 IP, 2 H, 1K
1B – Donald Lutz – .500/.778/1.500, 2 G, 4 AB, 3 R, 2 H, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K
2B – Simon Bamgardt – .400/.538/.500, 3 G, 10 AB, 4 R, 4 H, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 3 BB, 1 K
CF – Lucas Dunn – .400/.571/.700, 3 G, 10 AB, 3 R, 4 H, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 2 BB, 2 K
Germany is ranked at No. 17 in the World Baseball Rankings which are published by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Brazil is at No. 23, and China is at No. 20, who also participated at the 2025 WBCQ and went 0-3. Colombia is ranked at No. 13, Nicaragua ranked at No. 16 and Chinese Taipei ranked at No. 2 in the WBR, qualified for the 2026 WBC.
China was eliminated from contention with their 12-2 loss on Tuesday afternoon to Brazil and will not participate at the 2026 WBC. China appeared in the WBC five consecutive times in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2023, prior to their elimination in the WBC Qualifiers here in Tucson.
Brazil and Germany Face Off for Final 2026 WBC Berth at 2025 Qualifier
Brazil has won eight gold medals at the South American Championship, leading Argentina, which has seven. The team finished as the runner-up in both the 2024 South American Championship and the 2023 Pan American Games, falling to Argentina and Colombia in the finals.
Brazil last qualified for the WBC in 2013 after an undefeated run in the 2012 qualifier but went winless in Pool A under Hall of Famer Barry Larkin. The team has failed to qualify since, falling short in the 2016 and 2022 qualifiers.
Germany has never made the World Baseball Classic but has competed in the last three qualifiers. The team’s previous WBC qualifier history is covered in Germany Crushes China 12-2 in Seven Inning Mercy Rule Win and Germany Confirms 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers Roster.
The Germans reached the final qualifier in 2012 but lost to Canada. In 2016, they were eliminated in two games. In 2022, they defeated South Africa but were knocked out after losses to Great Britain and the Czech Republic.
Germany has never won gold at a major international senior tournament. The team’s best finish was a silver medal at the 1957 European Championship, along with seven bronze medals. Most recently, they lost 5-4 to the Netherlands in extra innings in the bronze medal game of the 2023 European Championship.
All WBC Qualifier games will stream live on the World Baseball Classic website, as well as on its Facebook page, MLB.TV, and YouTube channel, with coverage running through the final out of the second qualifier in Tucson, Ariz., on March 6.
The Future of the World Baseball Classic
Veterans Memorial Stadium was originally scheduled to host the WBC Qualifier in 2020 over two weeks with 12 teams. The event was postponed by World Baseball Classic Inc. and Major League Baseball, ultimately rescheduled for 2022. Argentina replaced the Philippines, who had been set to compete before the delay.
Three teams—Czech Republic, Great Britain, and Nicaragua—made their WBC debut in 2023 after qualifying through the 2022 WBCQ, which took place in Regensburg, Germany, and Panama City, Panama.
The first-ever WBC qualifiers in 2012 introduced a qualification system to the tournament. Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, New Zealand, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Spain, and Thailand all competed for the first time, as there was no qualification system for the 2006 and 2009 editions.
The 2025 WBC qualifiers have drawn record-breaking attendance. The Taipei Dome event in Taiwan attracted 142,526 fans from February 21-25, the highest ever at a qualifier site. Chinese Taipei’s matchup against South Korea on November 13, 2024, had 39,000 fans, while 25,000 attended their game against the Dominican Republic. In comparison, the 2022 WBCQ in Germany and Panama combined for 26,080 fans.
At Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, 13,036 fans attended the six games of the 2025 WBCQ between March 2-4.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic was the first to feature 20 teams. The qualifiers reflect baseball’s global growth, with two spots remaining for the 2026 tournament. The expanding field highlights the sport’s continued development in new markets.
2026 World Baseball Classic Information
The United States, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain and a Qualifier nation will compete at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas from March 6-11 in Pool B.
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, and a Qualifier nation will compete in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium from March 6-11 in Pool A.
Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czech Republic, and a Qualifier nation will compete at the Tokyo Dome from March 5-10 in Pool C.
Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, and a Qualifier nation will compete at loanDepot Park in Miami in Pool D from March 6-11.
Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images, sourced via WBSC on Facebook.
