The starting pitching matchups for the first day of the 2025 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers at Taipei Dome in Taipei, Taiwan, were announced by international baseball researcher Jeff Duda on Feb. 19. The tournament, scheduled from Feb. 21-25, will feature host nation Chinese Taipei, ranked No. 2 in the World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, competing alongside No. 24 Spain, No. 16 Nicaragua, and No. 31 South Africa for a spot in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The World Baseball Rankings are provided by the WBSC.
Nicaragua starting pitcher Ronald Medrano will face South Africa starter Dylan Unsworth at 11 p.m. EST on February 20.
Chinese Taipei called upon starter Jo-Hsi Hsu to take the mound against Spain’s Elian Leyva on Feb. 21 at 6 a.m. EST.
According to reports, the starting pitching matchups on the first day of World Baseball Classic qualifiers:
????????Ronald Medrano-????????Dylan Unsworth
????????Jo-Hsi Hsu-???????? Elián Leyva pic.twitter.com/3PCKx0MOCA— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) February 19, 2025
Nicaragua is managed by Sandor Guido. Spain will have Nelson Prada at the helm, while Neil Adonis will lead South Africa.
Chinese Taipei will have Hao-Jin Tseng commanding in the dugout after leading the nation to the first gold medal at the 2024 Premier12 Tournament.
All of the stats from the 2025 WBCQ are listed on MLB’s official World Baseball Classic page.
The rosters for all participating teams at both WBCQ events are available through the teams subtab on MLB’s World Baseball Classic website.
The pitching rules remain the same as those from the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Fernando Rayo of 8DeportivoTN8 in Nicaragua reported on Feb. 7 the pitching limits for the 2025 WBCQ. A pitcher throwing 50 or more pitches will require four days of rest, while those throwing between 30 and 49 pitches will need one day of rest. No player may exceed 65 pitches in a single game.
https://twitter.com/Rayo2Fer/status/1887935096658821613
The live box scores and stats are posted on MLB.com.
All WBC Qualifier games will be streamed live on the official World Baseball Classic website, as well as on Facebook and YouTube. Streaming will continue through the final out of the second qualifier in Tucson, Arizona, on March 6.
2026 World Baseball Classic Information:
The United States, Italy, Mexico, Great Britain and a Qualifier nation will compete at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas from March 6-11 in Pool B.
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, and a Qualifier nation will compete in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium from March 6-11 in Pool A.