On Sunday afternoon, the Tomateros de Culiacan will face Puerto Rico’s Cangrejeros de Santurce in the opening game of the 2026 Caribbean Series at Estadio Panamericano in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. Here are seven things to know about the 2026 Caribbean Series, winter baseball’s biggest event, which begins on Sunday and runs Feb. 1-7 in metropolitan Guadalajara.
Twice Is Nice – For the second year in a row, the Caribbean Series, the ultimate prize in winter baseball, returns to Mexico, this time to metropolitan Guadalajara, where the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico’s two-time defending champions, the Charros de Jalisco, will have the chance to win the Caribbean Series title that eluded them last year in front of their home fans. Should the Charros win the Caribbean Series, they’d join the 2005 Venados de Mazatlan as the only LAMP teams to win a Caribbean Series at home.
This year marks the third that time Mexico has hosted consecutive Caribbean Series after the tournament was played in Mexicali last year. Mexico previously hosted in 1992 and 1993 when Hermosillo and Mazatlan hosted in consecutive years, and again in 2017 and 2018 when Culiacan and Guadalajara hosted back-to-back. Similarly, in 2018, when Guadalajara hosted its first Caribbean Series, the event was moved out of Venezuela due to political strife in the South American country, though the decision to move the 2018 event was made nearly a year in advance, with the caveat that Venezuela would host the 2019 event.
Winning At Home Is A Rarity – The Caribbean Series has been played 67 times, but on only 15 occasions has a team representing the host county won the championship, most recently when Panama’s Toros de Herrera won the 2019 Caribbean Series at Estadio Rod Carew in Panama City. A host team winning the title is even rarer, having happened just eight times, most recently when Mazatlan won in 2005. Even when you consider that the Caribbean Series has been played at a neutral site in Miami three times, in 1991 at the Orange Bowl, in 1992 at Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium, and again in 2024 at loanDepot Park, the host country or host team winning the Caribbean Series remains a rare feat.
A Decade of Baseball In Guadalajara – While Guadalajara has hosted teams in both the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and the LAMP on and off since 1949, the latest iteration of baseball in Guadalajara has, by far, been the most successful. The previous ballpark, Estadio Tecnologico, was a 4,000-seat ballpark on the campus of the Universidad de Guadalajara, but it was demolished in 2004 due to structural problems.
Following the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Estadio Panamericano, which hosted the track and field events, was renovated into a ballpark, and the Charros returned to the LAMP for the 2014-15 season. They found immediate success, going 42-26 in the regular season and advancing to the finals, where they lost four games to one to Culiacan. They’ve since won three LAMP titles, two under Hall of Fame manager Roberto Vizcarra in 2018 and 2022, and again last year under Benji Gil. After acquiring the bankrupt Mariachis de Guadalajara franchise in 2023, the Charros advanced to the Serie del Rey in 2025, and are the only team playing baseball year-round in Mexico.
If We Can’t Host, We Won’t Play – This year, the Confederacion de Beisbol Profesional del Caribe moved the event from Caracas and La Guaira, Venezuela, to Guadalajara in mid-December. The move also resulted in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional electing not to send a team to Guadalajara, and instead host the Serie de Las Americas, a parallel event to the Caribbean Series featuring teams from winter leagues around the Caribbean and South America that are not members of the CBPC. In the wake of the emergency relocation of the Caribbean Series, Venezuela’s LVBP has demanded to host another Caribbean Series before 2030, though the next four sites have already been awarded, with Hermosillo, Mexico hosting in 2027 at Estadio Fernando Valenzuela and Miami’s loanDepot Park hosting the event for next three years.
Double Representation – With both the Tomateros de Culiacan and Charros de Jalisco of the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico championship series advancing to the 2026 Caribbean Series, this is the third time that two teams from one league have gone to a Caribbean Series. Prior to 2026, the Dominican Republic sent two teams to the 2008 Caribbean Series, held in Santiago, Dominican Republic, when Puerto Rico’s LBPRC didn’t play a season and thus didn’t send a team. In 1974, when the Caribbean Series was held at Estadio Hector Espino in Hermosillo, Mexico, the LAMP sent the Yaquis de Obregon and the Venados de Mazatlan, as Venezuela did not participate due to a strike by the players’ union.
Seventh Heaven For the Ol’ Righthander – Unless you followed the Cincinnati Reds intensely between 2007-11, you may not remember Daryl Thompson as a Major Leaguer. His MLB career lasted just four games, three in 2008 and one more in 2011, and that was it. But Thompson, now 39, is still pitching, having played in five countries (the United States, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic) with 10 different teams since he last saw MLB action. He’ll return to the Caribbean Series for the seventh time with Puerto Rico’s Cangrejeros de Santurce this year, having posted a 1.47 ERA in 43 innings across eight starts during the LBPRC’s regular season. He’s still looking for his first Caribbean Series title.
Panama Preps For World Baseball Classic – For World Baseball Classic fans, especially those who rooting for Panama, the Federales de Chiriqui’s games at the 2026 Caribbean Series will be appointment viewing. The Federales will bring a young but talented team to Guadalajara, most of which will form the core of Panama’s 2026 World Baseball Classic entry. The Federales finished third at the 2024 Caribbean Series in Miami, beating Curacao in the third place game at loanDepot Park, and will be a far more competitive team as an invitee than the Japan Breeze were last year in Mexicali.
2026 Caribbean Series Schedule
All times Eastern Standard Time
* – If either or both Mexico teams advance to the semifinals, they will play the late game regardless of seeding.
Sunday, Feb. 1
2 p.m. – Mexico (Green) vs. Puerto Rico
8:30 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Mexico (Red)
Monday, Feb. 2
3 p.m. – Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic
8 p.m. – Mexico (Red) vs. Panama
Tuesday, Feb. 3
3 p.m. – Panama vs. Mexico (Green)
8 p.m. – Mexico (Red) vs. Puerto Rico
Wednesday, Feb. 4
3 p.m. – Panama vs. Dominican Republic
8 p.m. – Mexico (Green) vs. Mexico (Red)
Thursday, Feb. 5
3 p.m. – Puerto Rico vs. Panama
8 p.m. – Dominican Republic vs. Mexico (Green)
Friday, Feb. 6
3 p.m. – Third Place vs. Second Place – Semifinal 1*
8 p.m. – First Place vs. Fourth Place – Semifinal 2*
Saturday, Feb. 7
8 p.m. – Championship Game
