In a special meeting of the general assembly of the Confederacion de Beisbol Profesional del Caribe, the presidents of the Dominican Republic’s LIDOM, the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, and Puerto Rico’s LBPRC informed the body that they will not send teams to the 2026 Caribbean Series if the event is held in Caracas.
An official statement posted on the CBPC’s website said, “The Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) reports that, within the framework of an Extraordinary General Assembly, the member leagues of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Mexico formally communicated that, due to external situations beyond their control, they are unable to attend the 2026 Caribbean Series, scheduled from Feb. 1-7 in Venezuela.”
Sources told World Baseball Network that Dec. 15 was the deadline for CBPC member leagues and invitees to confirm whether or not they would send a team to the 2026 Caribbean Series, which is scheduled to be played Feb. 1-7, 2026 at Estadio Monumental Simon Bolivar in Caracas and Estadio Jorge Luis García Carneiro in La Guaira. It was expected to be a six-team event, featuring teams from Venezuela’s LVBP, LIDOM, the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico, the LBPRC, Panama’s ProBeis and Cuba’s Serie Nacional. While the CBPC expressed confidence in Venezuela’s ability to host the event two weeks ago, the statement issued by the CBPC casts serious doubt on whether the event will go forward in that.
“The Confederation, together with its Member Leagues, recognizes and values the work developed by the LVBP and its Organizing Committee, as well as the efforts made in the planning of the 2026 Caribbean Series,” the statement read, translated from Spanish. “In light of the above, the CBPC continues to responsibly assess the situation, considering the various available alternatives, and will keep fans and the media promptly informed of any decisions made.”
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela have risen over the past two months, beginning when the U.S. began initiating missile strikes on boats off Venezuela that were allegedly trafficking drugs, with more than 20 strikes being made against boats off the Venezuelan coast.
On Nov. 29, U.S. President Donald J. Trump posted on Truth Social, a boutique social media network aimed at his supporters, “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY. Thank you for your attention to this matter.” While commercial flights continue to go in and out of Venezuela, multiple foreign airlines stopped flying to Venezuela do to the threat of military conflict.
Last week, the U.S. seized an oil tanker in the Caribbean which was alleged to be exporting crude oil out of Venezuela. The exportation of crude oil from Venezuela is the basis for the majority of the South American country’s economy, and Venezuela has referred to the seizure of the vessel, the Skipper, as an act of naval piracy.
If the 2026 Caribbean Series moves out of Venezuela, it would be the third time in less than a decade that the CBPC moved the event elsewhere after planning for it to be held inVenezuela. The 2018 Caribbean Series was moved from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, to Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and Barquisimeto was named the host for the 2019 Caribbean Series. The 2019 Caribbean Series was moved from Barquisimeto to Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City, Panama on Jan. 27, 2019, less than a week before the event was to begin. It was the second consecutive year the event was moved from Venezuela.
In 2019 the CBPC cited the lack of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Venezuela as well as a recommendation by Major League Baseball for personnel not to travel to nor stay in Venezuela in moving the series.
Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic would be unlikely to host the 2026 Caribbean Series if the CBPC moves it out of Venezuela. Puerto Rico is a U.S territory, and the U.S. denied visas to a Little League team from Venezuela that sought them to play in a tournament in South Carolina. The Dominican Republic and Venezuela no longer have diplomatic relations, and a major reason the 2025 Copa America de Beisbol was cancelled stemmed from the Dominican Republic pulling out of the event after that country’s government told them they couldn’t help the team if an emergency occurred while it was in Venezuela.
Mexico has maintained diplomacy with Venezuela and could potentially host the event. The city of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico is schedule to host the 2027 Caribbean Series.
Panama was cited by Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes on as a possible host for the 2026 Caribbean Series, though Panama City’s biggest ballpark, Estadio Rod Carew, is closed for emergency repairs for at least six months. The repairs to Estadio Rod Carew has forced the Serie de Las Americas, which will feature teams from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Curacao, Nicaragua, and Panama, to be played at the 10,000-seat Estadio Mariano Rivera in La Chorrera, Panama, as well as at the 7,600-seat Estadio Juan Demostenes Arosemena in Panama City.
Photo: The 2026 Caribbean Series is scheduled to begin on Feb. 1 2026 in Venezuela. Leagues in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico have said they will not send teams to Venezuela. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
