According to BeisbolPlay on June 6, Venezuela 2026 World Baseball Classic manager Omar López named Salvador Perez and Jose Altuve captains for the national team that will play from March 6-11 in Miami in Pool D at loanDepot Park and go up against the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Israel, and the Dominican Republic.
¡HABLÓ EL MÁNAGER DE VENEZUELA! ⚾️🇻🇪🔥
Omar López destacó en un live con el equipo de @teambeisbolve quienes se vislumbran como líderes de la Selección de Venezuela para el @wbcbaseball 2026.#QuoteBP #MLB #Beisbol #Venezuela #JoseAltuve #SalvadorPerez #CMB #OmarLopez pic.twitter.com/0A2bzJMwLs
— BeisbolPlay (@beisbolplaycom) June 6, 2025
Altuve has played in the WBC twice, in 2023 and 2017, and Perez has played in three consecutive tournaments since 2013 with Venezuela.
Altuve, 35, from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, has played with Houston in his 15 seasons in Major League Baseball since the 2011 season and was selected nine times as an All-Star in 2012, 2014-18, 2021-22, and 2024, a two-time World Series champion in 2017 and 2022, won the American League MVP in 2017, was selected once to the All-MLB First Team in 2022, won the ALCS MVP in 2019, won the Gold Glove Award in 2015, won the Silver Slugger Award seven times from 2014-18, 2022, and 2024, won the AL Hank Aaron Award in 2017, led the AL in batting average in 2014 and from 2016-17, and led the AL in stolen bases in 2014 and 2015.
Altuve played in seven games in the 2017 WBC and batted .259/.286/.259 with 27 at-bats, scoring four runs, raking seven hits, one RBI, one walk, and four strikeouts.
During the 2023 WBC, Altuve played in five games with 14 at-bats and hit .214/.450/.286, scoring four runs, three hits, one double, five walks, and five strikeouts.
Last season, Altuve played in 153 games with 682 plate appearances and batted .295, cracking 185 hits, 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 65 RBI, swiping 22 bases, 47 walks, 119 strikeouts, and a .790 OPS.
This season, Altuve has played in 61 games and is hitting .267 with 260 plate appearances, piling up 64 hits, six doubles, nine home runs, 24 RBI, five stolen bases, 17 walks, 45 strikeouts, and a .716 OPS.
Altuve, in his 15 seasons, has played in 1,882 games with 8,302 plate appearances and a lifetime average of .305, cracking 2,296 hits, 437 doubles, 31 triples, 238 home runs, 836 RBI, 320 stolen bases, 617 walks, 1,075 strikeouts, and a .827 OPS.
Perez, 35, from Valencia, Venezuela, has played with Kansas City for 14 seasons from 2011-18 and returned in the 2020 season after missing 2019 with an injury to his elbow during a spring training workout in Surprise, Ariz. An MRI revealed a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow prior to the start of the year, and he had to undergo Tommy John Surgery.
Perez was selected to the All-Star Game nine times from 2013-18, 2021, and from 2023-24, won a World Series title and was named WS MVP in 2015, was selected twice to the All-MLB First Team from 2020-21, won the Gold Glove Award five times from 2013-16 and 2018, won the Silver Slugger Award five times in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2024, won the AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2020, won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2024, and in 2021 was the MLB home run co-leader and led the majors in RBIs.
Perez played in two games of the 2013 WBC and batted .200/.200/.400 in five at-bats, scoring one run, collecting one hit, one double, and striking out once.
In the 2017 event, Perez played in two games and hit .286/.375/.857 with seven at-bats, scoring two runs, two hits, one double, one home run, two RBI, and one walk.
During the 2023 WBC, Perez played in four games and batted .429/.467/.929 with 14 at-bats, scoring five runs, pounding six hits, four doubles, one home run, six RBI, and one strikeout.
Last season, Perez played in 158 games with 652 plate appearances, hitting .271 and posting a 2.5 WAR. He banged out 160 hits, 28 doubles, 27 home runs, 104 RBI, 44 walks, 129 strikeouts, and had a .786 OPS.
This season, Perez has played in 60 games and is batting .232 with 251 plate appearances, teeing off for 55 hits, 16 doubles, four home runs, 29 RBI, 10 walks, 52 strikeouts, and a .618 OPS.
In Perez’s 14 seasons, he has played in 1,612 games with a lifetime average of .266 in 6,514 plate appearances, recording 1,626 hits, 301 doubles, 11 triples, 277 home runs, 945 RBI, six stolen bases, 253 walks, 1,230 strikeouts, and a .756 OPS.
Venezuela Rundown For 2026 WBC
Lopez is currently the bench coach with Houston and will manage Venezuela in the WBC for the second consecutive event.
Venezuela lost 9-7 to the United States in the quarterfinals of the 2023 WBC quarterfinals at loanDepot Park.
The farthest Venezuela has gone in the WBC was when the nation went to the semifinals of the 2009 event and lost 10-2 to South Korea at Dodger Stadium.
Lopez recently led Venezuela to the 2024 Premier12 Super Round at the Tokyo Dome this past November.
Venezuela in the 2024 Premier12 went 5-4 in Pool A and the Super Round and lost 6-1 to the United States in the bronze medal game at the Tokyo Dome on November 24, 2024, prior to Lopez returning back to the Cangrejeros de Santurce to finish managing in the 2024-25 Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente regular season in Puerto Rico.
Lopez was promoted to bench coach for the Astros on December 1, 2023 and was named as their first base coach prior to the start of the 2020 season.
Lopez and Aracelis Leon, the president of the Federación Venezolana de Beisbol will have to evaluate their roster in the coming months, considering key position players such as Wilson Contreras, William Contreras, Ronald Acuña Jr., Anthony Santander, Andrés Giménez, Gleyber Torres, Jackson Chourio, Eugenio Suárez, David Peralta, Orlando Arcia, Luis Arráez, Wilmer Flores, Maikel Garcia, Miguel Rojas, Ezequiel Tovar, Francisco Álvarez, Luisangel Acuna, Wilyer Abreu, and Gabriel Moreno.
Venezuela will also have to look into how they can build their starting pitching rotation and bullpen for the 2026 WBC with the likes of Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suarez, Martin Perez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Edgardo Henriquez, Brusdar Graterol, Jose Ruiz, German Marquez, Jose Butto, Robert Suarez, Jose Alvarado, and Luis Garcia to either return from their last roster from 2023 or play for the first time with the national team this upcoming March.
FEVEBEISBOL will have to scout among other players to be with the Venezuelan national team during the 2025 seasons across other professional leagues in Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korean Baseball Organization, the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol and the 2025-26 Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional season outside the other winter leagues in the Caribbean and Australia in order to build a strong roster for Pool D during the 2026 WBC.
Venezuela is ranked at No. 3 in the World Baseball Rankings that are published by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
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.
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 will play the Pool C winner on March 14 at loanDepot Park.
The 2026 WBC semifinals will be held on March 15 and 16 at loanDepot Park, with the championship game taking place on March 17.
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 World Baseball Classic 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
Teammates cheer on Venezuela’s Anthony Santander (25) as he heads home after hitting a home run scoring Ronald Acuna Jr., and Salvador Perez during the first inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Puerto Rico, Sunday, March 12, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
