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FCBS Announces 2025 Elite League Start Date, Rules

Matt TallariniJan 28, 202511 MIN READ
Juan ReinaldoPerez at Podium

The Federación Cubana de Béisbol y Softbol (FCBS) announced on January 27 that the third season of the Elite League will begin on March 15.

The 2025 Elite League season will open in Las Tunas, Cuba.

The FCBS has not yet confirmed game start times or the full schedule for the 2025 Elite League regular season.

The Serie Nacional will return to its traditional winter league format for the 2025-26 season and will begin in September, ending in January.

The upcoming Serie Nacional will mark its 64th year of operation when the season begins in September.

No game start times or additional locations have been confirmed yet for the 2025-26 Serie Nacional regular season.

The Serie Nacional has been a winter league since its inception in 1961, coinciding with the start of the United States Trade Embargo on Cuba.

Its last winter league season was in 2020-21, before shifting to a spring-summer schedule in 2022.

The Alazanes de Granma won the 2022 Serie Nacional championship, defeating the Cocodrilos de Matanzas in seven games during the league’s first spring-summer season.

The 2021-22 Serie Nacional season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and political challenges, including difficulties with the Cuban government and INDER (Instituto Nacional de Deportes, Educación Física y Recreación).

The Leñadores de Las Tunas won back-to-back Serie Nacional spring-summer titles in 2023 and 2024.

The No. 3 seed Leñadores de Las Tunas clinched the 2024 Serie Nacional title by winning the best-of-seven championship series over the No. 1 Vegueros de Pinar del Río in five games on July 28, 2024.

The Leñadores de Las Tunas entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed with a 42-28 record, while the top-seeded Vegueros de Pinar del Río posted a league-best 50-24 record.

As the No. 1 seed, the Leñadores de Las Tunas swept the No. 5 seed Industriales de La Habana in the best-of-seven championship series to win the 2023 Serie Nacional title.

The Elite League had its first two seasons as a winter league in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The six teams competing in the 2025 Elite League are the Leñadores de Las Tunas, the Vegueros de Pinar del Río, the Avispas de Santiago de Cuba, the Alazanes de Granma, the Industriales de La Habana, and the Tigres de Ciego de Ávila.

The 2025 Elite League regular season features a 40-game schedule for each team, followed by best-of-seven semifinals and a championship round.

The top-four teams will qualify for the 2025 Elite League postseason.

The first season of the Elite League season in 2022-23, the teams that played were the Centrales, Portuarios, Tabacaleros, Ganaderos, Agricultores, and Cafetaleros.

The Agricultores won the 2022-23 Elite League title, earning a berth in the 2023 Caribbean Series. They defeated the Portuarios in a dramatic seven-game championship series. Agricultores clinched the title with Osvaldo Abreu’s walk-off single to center field, securing a 7-6 victory after coming back from a 3-1 series deficit under manager Carlos Martí.

Cuba struggled in the 2023 Caribbean Series in Caracas, Venezuela, finishing with a 1-6 record. Their lone win came on the tournament’s opening day, a 3-1 victory over Curaçao in 10 innings at Estadio Fórum La Guaira. Colombia, Curaçao, and Cuba were all invitees at the 2023 Caribbean Series.

The 2023-24 Elite League season consisted of the top-six teams that finished in the 2023 Serie Nacional season.

The Cocodrilos de Matanzas, led by manager Armando Ferrer, won in six games in the 2023-24 Elite League best-of-seven championship series over the Cazadores de Artemisa and did not participate in an alternative league tournament out of Cuba.

The Cocodrilos de Matanzas and the FCBS hosted the Serie de Estrellas, featuring Venezuela, Mexico, and a 2023-24 Elite League All-Star team, from late January to early February at Estadio Victoria de Girón in Matanzas, Cuba. The Cocodrilos de Matanzas won the Serie de Estrellas, defeating the Elite League All-Star team 12-2 in the championship game on February 1, 2024.

Leif Skodnick of World Baseball Network reported on October 23, prior to Cuba’s participation in the Premier12 tournament, reporting on the political and economic challenges facing the Cuban government and the subsequent cancellation of the 2024-25 winter Elite League season due to political and economic issues.

Skodnick reported, “The change in the league’s schedule was announced by Cuba’s sports ministry, the Instituto Nacional Deportivo, Educacion Fisica y Recreacion, or INDER, last Wednesday. In addition to moving the Elite League season to the spring, the Serie Nacional’s next season will begin in September 2025. The season changes were made because the ‘absence of Cuba in the Caribbean Series makes it unnecessary to continue adhering to the changes made two years ago in our calendars to adjust to the date of that tournament,’ Instituto Nacional de Deportes, Educación Física y Recreación stated in Spanish in a press release published by JITDeportivo.cu, a sports media outlet run by the Cuban government.”

What Can Shape Up For Cuba In International Club Tournaments?

The 2023 World Baseball Softball Confederation Baseball Champions League took place from September 28 to October 21, featuring the 2022 Cuban Serie Nacional champion, the Alazanes de Granma; the 2021-22 Liga Profesional De Béisbol Colombia champion, the Caimanes de Barranquilla; the 2022 American Association champion, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks; and the host team, the 2022 Liga Mexicana de Béisbol champion, Leones de Yucatán, at Parque Kukulcán Álamo in Mérida, Mexico.

The Leñadores de Las Tunas are set to compete in the 2025 BCL tournament at Estadio Harp Helú in Mexico City, facing the 2024 Liga Mexicana de Béisbol champions, the Diablos Rojos del México; the Titanes de Florida, representing the Liga de Béisbol Superior Doble A in Puerto Rico; the Tigres de Chinandega from Nicaragua’s Campeonato Germán Pomares Ordóñez; the Kane County Cougars from the American Association; and the Santa Maria Pirates from the Curaçao National Championship AA League.

The 2025 BCL tournament is scheduled from April 8 to April 13, concluding with the championship game.

The Leñadores de Las Tunas are currently playing in the 2025 Serie de las Américas event in Nicaragua, hosted by the Asociación de Béisbol de las Américas committee, and are currently 1-3 in fifth place, and will play the 2024 Liga Argentina de Béisbol champion club at 3 p.m. EST on January 28 at Estadio Nacional Soberanía in Managua, Nicaragua.

Over the coming months, the FCBS will evaluate players from the 2025 Elite League season to determine who will represent Cuba at the 2026 World Baseball Classic next March and plan for how the 2025-26 Serie Nacional season might unfold if it begins on schedule this September.

Cuba will play in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in Pool A of the 2026 WBC against host nation Puerto Rico, Panama, Canada, and a qualifier nation from March 6-11.

This marks Cuba’s first WBC appearance in Puerto Rico since the inaugural tournament in 2006. In 2006, Cuba faced Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic before their Cinderella run to the championship game. Ultimately, they lost 10-6 to Japan at Petco Park in San Diego despite not fielding any MLB talent.

The challenge for the FCB during this period will be securing players from MLB and minor leagues, alongside international professionals under their supervision. Historically, Cuba only allowed island-based amateurs to participate in global tournaments like the Pan American Games, Baseball World Cup, and Olympics prior to the 2023 WBC. However, the 2023 WBC marked a turning point, with MLB stars like Luis Robert, Yoán Moncada, and Roenis Elías included on the roster.

The 2023 WBC was the first time that Cuba allowed MLB players on either active or 40-man rosters to play on their national team at an international senior event.

To compete against top-tier teams, Cuba must field its best talent. Cuba finished last in their six-team group at the 2024 Premier12 with a 1-4 record, earning their only win—a 4-3 victory over Australia—on November 16 at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Shilin, Taipei.

Alex Ortiz of World Baseball Network wrote about a potential roster for Cuba at the 2026 WBC on January 11, highlighting MLB players like Vladimir Gutiérrez, Adrián Morejón, Aroldis Chapman, Raisel Iglesias, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Jorge Soler, Dairon Blanco, Oscar Colás, José Iglesias, Yennier Cano, Andy Pagés, and Yordan Álvarez, who could provide a major boost for the team if INDER, the FCBS, and the Cuban government prioritize collaboration over political differences:

Currently, 210 Cuban-born players in the minor leagues could be considered by the FCBS for the 2026 WBC pre-selection roster, with 41 players in Triple-A, 28 in Double-A, 36 in High-A, 35 in Low-A, and 70 at the Rookie Complex Level. These players could also make a significant impact on international tournaments such as the Caribbean Cup, Pan American Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, Premier12, and Olympics.

Cuban-Americans can also be an option for the FCBS to evaluate their national team rosters for future international tournaments if they choose to follow the WBSC event guidelines for eligibility.

If FCBS President Juan Reinaldo Pérez enables more top MLB talent to represent Cuba at the 2026 WBC and strengthens scouting collaborations with other federation officials, Cuba could make a strong impact at upcoming events like the 2027 Premier12 and the 2028 Olympics by adhering to the WBSC rulebook governing player eligibility for international events across all age groups.

Key Points About WBSC Eligibility for International Tournaments

To compete in a WBSC international tournament, a player must be a national of the country they represent and qualify for a passport from that country; any disputes regarding nationality are decided by the WBSC Executive Board.

Nationality: Players must be citizens of the country they are representing.

Age restrictions: Tournaments may impose specific age restrictions, typically requiring players to be born within a certain year range.

Representing one country only: Players who have represented a country in a WBSC event cannot switch to another country unless certain conditions are met, often requiring a waiting period.

Cuba Opts Out of Playing in Copa Union Antillana Event in Puerto Rico

Conor Liguori of WBN reported on January 27 that the FCBS announced Cuba will not participate in the February Copa Unión Antillana at Estadio Luis A. “Canena” Márquez in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where former MLB player Carlos Delgado will manage the Puerto Rican team.

The Copa Unión Antillana is scheduled from February 21-23.

On January 14, the Federación de Béisbol de Puerto Rico confirmed the three-team event, including the Dominican Republic, as part of Aguadilla’s 250th anniversary celebration.

The FCBS sent a letter to the event organizers, citing the difficulty of processing a visa to travel to Puerto Rico.

The letter is available in Spanish and can be translated into English on JIT, a Cuban news website.

Cuba could not leave the country or compete in the Copa Unión Antillana due to their visa processing requirements.

As of Monday evening, the organizers have not provided updates on how Cuba’s exclusion affects Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic or whether they plan to find a replacement team.

The Dominican Republic will form a team from players who competed in the 2024 Liga Nacional de Béisbol de Verano regular season, while the Puerto Rico team will have players from the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente and the Liga de Béisbol Superior Doble A.

Giovanni Palco 211 shared on Facebook the following details about the 2025 Elite League logistics.

FCBS Regulations For 2025 Elite League Regular Season:

  • Athletes per team: 32
  • Members of the board and coaching staff: 14
  • Qualifying phase: March-April
  • Playoff phase: May
  • Deadline to deliver the 22 athletes from the qualified province: February 3 (each province will call a press conference and announce the selected ones).
  • On February 6, the technical meeting will be held with the 6 directors to specify the aspects of the competition.
  • Date for the selection of the 10 reinforcements per team: February 7th 
  • Date of the start of the training: February 10th. 
  • The technical meeting (congress) will take place on March 7th. 

To Select the Members of the Six Elite League Teams for the 2026 season:

  • 22 athletes from the qualified team must have participated in the 2024 Serie Nacional season. 
  • 10 reinforcements, including six from the Cuban National Baseball Commission pool and four that are able to be required by INDER to be added to each of the six participating teams. 
  • The reinforcement requirements cannot be from their team from the previous season that participated in the 2024 Serie Nacional Season and have to be athletes born in Cuba and residing abroad while playing in other international professional leagues with the authorization from the FCBS.
  • 1st and 3rd rounds from 1st to 6th; 2nd and 4th rounds from 6th to 1st; all other rounds by drawing lots prior to the start of the 2025 Serie Nacional season. 
  •  Athletes born in Cuba and residing abroad may participate upon request from the player to the province with which they want to participate and approval from the CNB.
  • Athletes contracted by the FCBS may be added or removed at any time, according to their contract. 
  • A window will be allowed for 3 players from any league, including the SNB, before the 40th game. The removals will depend on the category of the athletes (reinforcement by reinforcement; player from the province by player from the province). 
  • The 32 players will be eligible to participate in each match, but 27 must be declared before the start of the match of each day (line up). 
  • The visiting team will travel with 27 athletes. 
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