After a record crowd of 36,667 packed loanDepot Park for the 2024 Caribbean Series final between Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, the event is officially returning to Miami for a three-year stretch beginning in 2028.
The Miami Marlins confirmed the agreement on June 16, finalizing plans to host the Caribbean Series in 2028, 2029, and 2030. The announcement builds on prior reporting by Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes and Daniel Alvarez of El Extrabase, who detailed the partnership between the Marlins and the Confederación de Béisbol Profesional del Caribe (CBPC) earlier this month. Read World Baseball Network’s original article on the three-year deal.
ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ will continue as the Spanish-language domestic partners through 2028.
loanDepot park acquires rights to host Serie del Caribe for three years, beginning in 2028
Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela will return to Miami for baseball’s premier Winter League championship following a record-breaking 2024 tournament pic.twitter.com/XWeTT7RMNe
— Marlins Communications (@MarlinsComms) June 16, 2025
loanDepot Park will also host the 2026 NHL Winter Classic and the 2026 World Baseball Classic starting with Pool D on March 6 until the championship game on March 17.
The Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Israel and the Netherlands will start in Pool D at loanDepot Park to begin the 2026 WBC.
Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reported on June 13 that the Caribbean Series will be held in Miami at loanDepot Park in 2028, 2029, and 2030.
Los Miami Marlins aseguraron hoy tres ediciones más de la Serie del Caribe, comenzando en 2028, cuando correspondía a República Dominicana. Por contrato, Miami ya tenía la opción sobre el 2030, lo que deja el 2029 (de Puerto Rico) como la novedad en el último acuerdo.
El evento…— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) June 13, 2025
Part of the agreement was successfully handled by the Miami Marlins and the CBPC under president Juan Francisco Puello Herrera.
The Dominican Republic will have the majority of the home games in 2028 and Puerto Rico will have their home games in 2029 at loanDepot Park.
The Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana also had a big part in helping with the agreement for 2028 with the Marlins and CBPC to host their home games for the Caribbean Series.
🦩¡Serie del Caribe 2028 ya tiene casa! 🦩
LIDOM ha suscrito un acuerdo de intención con los Marlins de Miami para celebrar la Serie del Caribe 2028 en el estadio LoanDepot Park.
Este paso inicial sienta las bases para un contrato definitivo que permitiría a la liga dominicana… pic.twitter.com/onD2vHeTQH
— LIDOM (@LIDOMRD) June 13, 2025
Nothing has yet been decided on who will have the home field slot for the 2030 Caribbean Series.
The Caribbean Series will also be held at Estadio Fernando Valenzuela in 2027 in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Daniel Alvarez of El Extrabase and Baseball Writers Association of America card holder from the Miami chapter also reported on the Marlins and CBPC agreement to have the Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park from 2028–2030.
Fuentes informan a @ElExtrabase: La Confederación de Béisbol del Caribe y los Miami Marlins han cerrado un acuerdo que llevará la Serie el Caribe al loanDepot park en tres años consecutivos. Se espera que sean 2028, 2029 y 2030.
— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) June 13, 2025
According to 8DeportivoTN8 in Nicaragua, there are possibilities that Nicaragua could return to the Caribbean Series since their first appearance in 2024 at loanDepot Park.
NICARAGUA VOLVERÍA A LA SERIE DEL CARIBE🚨⚾️
Nicaragua podría regresar a la Serie del Caribe 2028, justo cuando la Serie regresará al LoanDepot Park en Miami dijeron fuentes a 8 Deportivo. #Beisbol pic.twitter.com/nl6YCHWgWy
— 8DeportivoTN8 (@8DeportivoTN8) June 13, 2025
The 2026 Caribbean Series will take place in Caracas, Venezuela from January 30 until February 7, with games at Estadio Simón Bolívar, Estadio Forum de La Guaira, and Estadio Universitario.
The winners from the 2025–26 seasons in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional, Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico, Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana, and Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico will participate in the 2026 Caribbean Series.
The LAMP, LVBP, LIDOM, and LBPRC are all members of the CBPC.
Last season, the Leones del Escogido—managed by Dominican Republic WBC manager Albert Pujols—won the 2024–25 LIDOM title, their 17th in franchise history, by defeating the Tigres del Licey in seven games at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo. Escogido earned a trip to the 2025 Caribbean Series at El Nido de los Águilas in Mexicali, Mexico.
Pujols helped lead Escogido to their fifth Caribbean Series title, defeating the 2024–25 Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacífico champion, Charros de Jalisco, 1-0 in the championship game.
The 2026 Caribbean Series will once again feature the Japan Breeze, who participated in the 2025 event, alongside Cuba’s 2025–26 Serie Nacional champion. South Korea will send a team made up of minor league and main roster players from the KBO. Italy’s participation will be determined by either the 2025 Serie A1 champion or an All-Star squad used for 2026 WBC scouting.
Recap of loanDepot Park with the 2024 Caribbean Series Held at a Major League Stadium for the First Time
In the 2023–24 winter league season, the 2024 Caribbean Series was held at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. It was the first time the event was played at an MLB facility and indoors. The 2023–24 LVBP champions, Tiburones de La Guaira, beat the LIDOM champion Tigres del Licey 3-0 in front of 36,667 fans—the largest crowd in Caribbean Series history.
CBPC Research on 30,000+ Fans at the 1955 Caribbean Series
CBPC press officer Nelson de la Rosa noted via the Confederation’s website on November 21, 2024, that the 1955 event held over 30,000 fans at Estadio Universitario in Caracas, Venezuela. The report appeared in Bohemia Magazine on February 20, 1955.
Nicaragua, Curaçao, and Panama did not return to the 2025 Caribbean Series after their appearance in 2024 at loanDepot Park.
Miami has now hosted the event three times—previously in 1990 at the Orange Bowl and in 1991 at Bobby Maduro Stadium.
Pitching History at the Caribbean Series
Tiburones de La Guaira starter Angel Padron threw a no-hitter against Nicaragua in a 9-0 win, the first no-hitter in the Caribbean Series since 1952, when Tommy Fine of Leones del Habana no-hit Venezuela’s Cervecería Caracas in Panama City.
Padron needed just 88 pitches—57 for strikes—with one walk, four strikeouts, and faced the minimum 27 batters.
Padron was the first Latin-born player to have thrown a no-hitter at the Caribbean Series. Former Tiburones de La Guaira manager Ozzie Guillen and former Tigres del Licey and Hall-of-Fame manager Tommy Lasorda are the only managers to have won the World Series and Caribbean Series in baseball history.
Venezuela also had a second no-hitter during the 2025 pool round from Jesús Vargas of the Cardenales de Lara, who shut out Japan Breeze 10-0 with a walk-off home run by Alexi Amarista in the bottom of the eighth.
Winter League Agreement Impacts Player Participation
The Winter League Agreement between CBPC and Major League Baseball determines offseason player eligibility (PDF).
Without full approval from MLB owners, players on 40-man and active rosters cannot participate in events not covered under the WLA, such as Serie de las Américas. This often prevents participation from top-tier talent, especially with spring training close behind.
All-Time Caribbean Series Title Leaders
The Tigres del Licey lead with 11 titles, followed by Águilas Cibaeñas (6), Cangrejeros de Santurce and Criollos de Caguas (5 each), and Leones del Escogido (4). These are the only clubs with more than two championships.
Origins of the Caribbean Series
The CBPC was formed in Havana on April 12, 1948, by leaders from Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico, with Venezuela joining soon after. The Caribbean Series began in 1949 at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, with Almendares going 6-0. The field included Cervecería Caracas, Refresqueros de Spur Cola, and Indios de Mayagüez.
The tournament was inspired by the success of the 1946 Serie Interamericana, which featured the Brooklyn Bushwicks, Cervecería Caracas, Sultanes de Monterrey, and a Cuban All-Star team.
The Series was suspended from 1961–69 due to the Cuban Revolution and resumed in 1970 with the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.
Historic Context
The 1981 Caribbean Series, which was supposed to include Criollos de Caguas, Leones del Caracas, Leones del Escogido, and Yaquis de Obregón, was canceled due to a Venezuelan players’ union strike.
Other Winter League Events at loanDepot Park
The 2025 Choques de Gigantes took place this past November at loanDepot Park, featuring Navegantes del Magallanes, Cardenales de Lara, Leones del Caracas (LVBP), Cangrejeros de Santurce, Criollos de Caguas (LBPRC), and Estrellas Orientales (LIDOM).
The first winter club event hosted by the Marlins was the Serie de las Américas in 2015, which included Magallanes, Cardenales, Tigres del Licey, and Águilas Cibaeñas.
