The second edition of the Baseball5 World Cup is around the corner, starting on October 7 in Hong Kong, China. The World Baseball Softball Confederation has announced hosts for two future Baseball5 World Cups.
WBSC announced that in 2025, Mexico will host the second edition of the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup. According to WBSC.org, the event will also serve as a qualifier for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Additionally, the WBSC announced that the Italian Baseball Softball Federation will host the third edition of the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup in 2026. Specific cities and dates will be announced at a later date, according to WBSC.com
The 2024 WBSC Baseball5 World Cup features 12 countries but not Italy. Italy has not participated in the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup in either edition. However, the host nation automatically qualifies, meaning Italy will field a team in 2026.
The mixed-gender sport will see 12 teams play 50 games. Two pools of six teams play a single round-robin. The top three teams from each pool advance to compete for the championship.
Italy hosting and participating is another step forward for baseball in the country.
Photo Credit: Players of Cuba celebrate after receiving the gold medal at the Youth Baseball5 World Cup at Yenimahalle Sports Complex in Ankara, Turkiye on October 15, 2023. (Photo by Ismail Kaplan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
