Nicaragua’s winter league, the Asociación Profesional de Béisbol Nicaragüense (APBN), has announced a new start date of Dec. 3. The regular season was originally scheduled to begin on Nov. 27 with the postseason final set to conclude Feb. 1 if a seventh game was needed. Following the schedule change, that game would now take place Feb. 5.

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The start date was pushed back because Nicaragua will host the U-23 Baseball World Cup from Nov. 6-15, while the senior national team will compete in China in the Premier12 qualifier from Nov. 26-28 in Zhongshan, China.

For the first time, Nicaragua’s winter league will feature six teams, with Los Dantos de Managua joining for the 2026-27 season. Los Dantos have been a dominant force in Nicaragua’s summer league, the Campeonato Germán Pomares. They have won five of the past 11 titles and will look to capture their first winter league championship in their debut season.

All six teams are scheduled to play a 35-game regular season. The top four teams will advance to best-of-seven semifinals, followed by a best-of-seven final.

Since Nicaragua’s winter league was revived 22 years ago, the Leones de León have been the league’s most successful team. The club has won seven championships and will look to become the first team to win three consecutive titles. The Leones have won the final in seven games in each of the past two seasons. Last season, the club defeated the Gigantes de Rivas to claim its second consecutive championship.

The APBN champion will once again represent Nicaragua in the Serie de las Américas, marking the country’s third consecutive appearance in the tournament. For the second straight year, the competition will be held in Caracas, Venezuela.

Nicaragua hosted the tournament in 2025, when the Leones de León fell to Panama’s Águilas Metropolitanas in the final. León represented Nicaragua again in 2026, finishing fifth with a 2-4 record.

The 2027 edition of the tournament will feature a record 10 teams. Runners-up from the winter leagues in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will join the champions from Cuba, Curaçao, Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama and Argentina.