According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi on X, all three of Chinese Taipei’s World Baseball Classic Qualifiers games at the Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan, are sold out. The Taipei Dome opened in October 2023 and can seat up to 40,000 spectators for sporting events.
“Massive momentum for baseball in Taiwan,” Morosi wrote on his official X account on Monday. “Credit to the amazing fans there.”
All seven Taipei Qualification Pool games will be played at the Taipei Dome from February 21-25. Chinese Taipei will play Spain on February 21, South Africa on February 22, and Nicaragua on February 23. The second and third-place teams will play in game seven of the tournament on February 25, and the winner qualifies for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
According to the World Baseball Softball Confederation, more than 180,000 people attended Group B games of the 2024 Premier12 this past November at the Taipei Dome. The international tournament was the most prominent baseball event the Taipei Dome has hosted.
In addition to fans watching the action from inside the stadium, nearly 20,000 baseball fanatics joined Premier12 watch parties in places like New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Taichung, Yunlin, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, the WBSC reported in November. The continued growth of baseball in Taiwan is apparent.
Anticipation for Chinese Taipei’s performance in the upcoming WBC Qualifiers is high because of the 4-0 win against rival Japan in the Premier12 Championship Game on November 24 at the Tokyo Dome in Bunkyo, Japan. Many consider the victory an extraordinary moment in Taiwan’s baseball history.
Taiwan, which goes by Chinese Taipei in sporting events like the Olympics and international baseball tournaments like the World Baseball Classic and the WBSC Premier12, began training camp for the WBC Qualifiers last week.
Chinese Taipei, led by manager Hao-Ju Tseng, is a heavy favorite to emerge as one of the two teams from the Taipei Qualification Pool to qualify for the World Baseball Classic in 2026. Tseng, a former manager of the Chinese Professional Baseball’s Rakuten Monkeys, was also at the helm for Chinese Taipei during the 2024 Premier12.
Chinese Taipei released their roster for the WBC Qualifiers on February 3, and World Baseball Network’s Alex Ortiz noted which players to watch out for and who has experience in professional leagues like the CPBL and Major League Baseball.
Outfielder Chieh-Hsien Chen and catcher Chia-Cheng Lin are the only two Chinese Taipei Premier12 team players on the WBC Qualifiers roster. Tseng appointed Chen, the Premier12 MVP, team captain for the WBC Qualifiers.
China, Germany, Brazil, and Colombia will compete in the Tucson Qualification Pool on the other side of the WBC Qualifiers bracket. The action will occur from March 2 to 6 at the Veterans Memorial Stadium at Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona.
