The Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond (KNBSB) announced May 20 that former Major League Baseball outfielder Andruw Jones will manage the Netherlands national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
BREAKING NEWS! Andruw Jones is de manager van #TeamKingdomNL tijdens de World Baseball Classic van 2026. Naast jarenlange ervaring als speler, is hij ook al jaren actief als coach bij het Koninkrijksteam. Tijdens de WBC maakt hij zijn debuut als manager. https://t.co/zf3UKVEfdg
— HonkbalSoftbalNL (@HonkbalSoftbal) May 20, 2025
Jones, 48, was born in Willemstad, Curacao, and played 17 seasons in MLB. He spent most of his career with the Atlanta Braves from 1996 to 2007 and later suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees through 2012. He also played in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league with the Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2013 to 2014.
Jones is a 10-time Gold Glove winner (1998–2007), a five-time All-Star, and won the 2005 Silver Slugger Award and Hank Aaron Award while leading the National League in home runs and RBI that season. His No. 25 was retired by the Braves, and he is a member of the team’s Hall of Fame.
Jones appeared in 2,196 MLB games, batting .254 with 434 home runs, 1,289 RBI, and a .823 OPS. He also stole 152 bases and drew 891 walks across 8,664 plate appearances.
Return to WBC With Leadership Role
Jones previously represented the Netherlands in international play, appearing in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and again in 2013, where he helped lead the team to the semifinals. He later appeared in the 2015 WBSC Premier12 tournament before retiring from professional baseball.
He expressed interest in managing the Dutch national team during an interview with Diamante23 reporter Leonte Landino on March 18, stating he would welcome the opportunity to lead the squad at the next WBC.
Andruw Jones habló sobre su potencial confirmación como manager de Países Bajos en el Clásico Mundial 2025 👀#TokyoSeries #MLB #Béisbol #Diamante23 pic.twitter.com/2k6BJKWzBW
— Diamante 23 (@Diamante23OF) March 18, 2025
Netherlands in Pool D for 2026
The Netherlands will compete in Pool D of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, facing Venezuela, Israel, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic from March 6-11 at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
Before the tournament, the KNBSB will continue evaluating talent at the 2025 European Baseball Championship, scheduled for September 20–27 in Senago (Italy), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and Borgerhout (Belgium).
Roster construction will also involve scouting players in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the Curacao National Championship AA League, the Curacao Professional Baseball League, and international circuits including Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korean Baseball Organization, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and winter leagues across Latin America and Australia.
Candidates and Contributors
Potential returnees for the 2026 WBC include position players Xander Bogaerts, Jonathan Schoop, Andrelton Simmons, Jurickson Profar, Juremi Profar, Didi Gregorius, Chadwick Tromp, Ozzie Albies, Joshua Palacios, and Richie Palacios.
The pitching staff could feature Mike Bolsenbroek, Lars Huijer, Kevin Kelly, Ryan Huntington, Derek West, and Arij Fransen. Additionally, top prospects Stijn Van der Schaaf, Connor Prins, and Brandon Herbold are expected to be in the mix for roster consideration.
The Netherlands went 2-2 in Pool A in a five-team tie at the 2023 WBC in Taichung, Taiwan, but failed to advance due to the WBSC’s Total Quality Balance run differential rule.
Curacao Connection
Jones remains deeply involved in baseball development in Curacao. He has worked closely with Federashon di Beisbol Korsou (FEBEKO) president Jedrek Magdalena to promote the sport, especially since Curacao’s debut in the 2023 Caribbean Series. His contributions include supporting youth leagues and working with the Curacao National Championship AA League and the Curacao Professional Baseball League.
Stats for the 2025 Honkbal Hoofdklasse season are available at KNBSB Stats, while Curacao AA League stats can be tracked at WBSC Curacao. Updates on Dutch and Curacao baseball can be found on @honkbalsoftbalnl and @baseballcuracao.
WBC Overview
Japan has won the most WBC championships with three in 2006, 2009, and 2023. The United States won in 2017 and the Dominican Republic won in 2013 and are the only other countries to win the WBC since the event started in 2006.
The WBC is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the sports governing body alongside Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and the WBCI, that partner in organizing the event during spring training.
The 2026 WBC pool matchups for all games are slated on https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/venues with the confirmed dates, and no game start times have yet been announced.
2026 World Baseball Classic Information
The United States, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain and Brazil will compete at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas from March 6-11 in Pool B.
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, and Colombia will compete in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium from March 6-11 in Pool A.
Nicaragua will play against Venezuela, Israel, the Netherlands, and the Dominican Republic in Miami at loanDepot Park from March 6-11 in Pool D.
Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czech Republic, and Chinese Taipei will compete at the Tokyo Dome from March 5-10 in Pool C.
The Quarterfinals of the 2026 WBC will feature the Pool A runner-up facing the Pool B winner on March 13, while the Pool B runner-up will face the Pool A winner on March 14 at Daikin Park.
The other side of the Quarterfinals will be on March 13 with the Pool C runner-up playing the Pool D winner and the Pool D runner-up.
The 2026 WBC semifinals will be held on March 15 and 16 at loanDepot Park, with the championship game taking place on March 17.
The schedule for the 2026 @WBCBaseball is here! 👀 pic.twitter.com/B5MvUIrZK5
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 9, 2025
WBSC Rankings Outline
Japan is ranked at No. 1 in the World Baseball Rankings and will play in their sixth WBC. Chinese Taipei hails at No. 2. and will play in their sixth event. Venezuela at No. 3 and will appear for the sixth time at the WBC. Mexico is at No. 4 and will play in their sixth WBC. The United States is at No. 5 and will appear for the sixth time in the WBC. South Korea is labeled at No. 6 and will play in their sixth WBC.
The Netherlands at No. 7 will play in the WBC for the sixth time. Panama at No. 8 will play at the event for the fourth time. Puerto Rico crawling in at No. 9 will appear for the sixth time. Cuba is at No. 10 and will appear in the sixth WBC. The Dominican Republic at No. 11 will play in their sixth event. Australia pipelines at No. 12 and will play for the sixth time at the WBC.
Colombia at No. 13 and will appear in their third WBC. Italy is at No. 14 and will play in their sixth event The Czech Republic at No. 15 will appear in their second WBC. Nicaragua is ranked at No. 16 and will appear in the WBC for the second-time.
Great Britain at No. 18 will play for the second time at the WBC. Israel is ranked at No. 19 and will play in their third WBC. Canada is at No. 22 and will play in their sixth event. Brazil is ranked at No. 23 and will play in their second WBC.
In the 2023 WBC, Nicaragua, Great Britain, and the Czech Republic played in their first event. Israel and Colombia have played in three consecutive WBC events dating back to 2017. Brazil is appearing in the WBC for the first time since 2013. Panama has played in the WBC previously in 2006, 2009 and 2023, prior to 2026.
China will not be participating for the first time in the WBC since they did not qualify in the second qualifier in Tucson, Ariz., while going 0-3. They have been in the WBC since 2006, in the event’s first year.
The teams that are playing in the 2026 WBC and are part of the WBSC Americas sector are the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Nicaragua, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. In the WBSC Europe sector, Italy, Israel, Great Britain, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands are participating in the 2026 event.
Japan, Chinese Taipei, and South Korea are in the WBSC Asia sector and Australia is in the WBSC Oceania sector.
All the other listed remaining countries have played in the WBC since its first year in 2006.
The WBC is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, the sports governing body alongside Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and the WBCI, that partner in organizing the event during spring training.
The 2026 WBC pool matchups for all games are slated on https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/venues with the confirmed dates, and no game start times have yet been announced.
If teams end up with the same record in pool play the Total Quality Balance run differential rule will be in effect for runs for and runs against alongside the head-to-head record.
2026 WBC Pool Matchups With Confirmed Dates
Pool A – Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Canada & Cuba
Venue – Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 6
Game 1 – Cuba vs. Panama
Game 2 – Puerto Rico vs. Colombia
March 7
Game 3 – Colombia vs. Canada
Game 4 – Panama vs. Puerto Rico
March 8
Game 5 – Colombia vs. Cuba
Game 6 – Panama vs. Canada
March 9
Game 7 – Colombia vs. Panama
Game 8 – Cuba vs. Puerto Rico
March 10
Game 9 – Canada vs. Puerto Rico
March 11
Game 10 – Canada vs. Cuba
Pool B – United States, Mexico, Brazil, Great Britain & Italy
Venue – Daikin Park – Houston, Texas
March 6
Game 1 – Mexico vs. Great Britain
Game 2 – United States vs. Brazil
March 7
Game 3 – Brazil vs. Italy
Game 4 – Great Britain vs. United States
March 8
Game 5 – Great Britain vs. Italy
Game 6 – Brazil vs. Mexico
March 9
Game 7 – Brazil vs. Great Britain
Game 8 – Mexico vs. United States
March 10
Game 9 – Italy vs. United States
March 11
Game 10 – Italy vs. Mexico
Pool C – Japan, Chinese Taipei, Australia, South Korea & Czech Republic
Venue – Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan
March 5
Game 1 – Chinese Taipei vs. Australia
Game 2 – Czechia vs. South Korea
March 6
Game 3 – Australia vs. Czechia
Game 4 – Japan vs. Chinese Taipei
March 7
Game 5 – Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia
Game 6 – South Korea vs. Japan
March 8
Game 7 – Chinese Taipei vs. South Korea
Game 8 – Australia vs. Japan
March 9
Game 9 – South Korea vs. Australia
March 10
Game 10 – Czechia vs. Japan
Pool D – Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Venezuela, Israel & Nicaragua
Venue – loanDepot Park – Miami, Fla.
March 6
Game 1 – Netherlands vs. Venezuela
Game 2 – Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic
March 7
Game 3 – Nicaragua vs. Netherlands
Game 4 – Israel vs. Venezuela
March 8
Game 5 – Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic
Game 6 – Nicaragua vs. Israel
March 9
Game 7 – Dominican Republic vs. Israel
Game 8 – Venezuela vs. Nicaragua
March 10
Game 9 – Israel vs. Netherlands
March 11
Game 10 – Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela
Netherlands’ manager Hensley Meulens, right, and coach Andruw Jones watch the mound during an international exhibition series baseball game against Japan at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016.
