An exterior view of loanDepot Park, which will reportedly host three rounds of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
When the 2026 World Baseball Classic rolls around, all eyes will be on Miami once again.
LoanDepot Park will host pool play games, semifinals, and finals in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, as it did in 2023. The final culminated in a dramatic finish with Japan’s Shohei Ohtani coming out of the bullpen to shut down the United States, striking out his then-teammate with the Angels, Mike Trout, to close out a 3-2 victory.
Major League Baseball’s official website briefly posted venue information on Thursday that stated loanDepot Park would host all three rounds in 2026 before quickly removing the information from its website. The post said Pool D would be played in Miami, along with the semifinals and championship game.
Major League Baseball announced later on Thursday that Tokyo, Houston, and San Juan, Puerto Rico would host the other three rounds of pool play, and that Miami would host three rounds of games.
In addition to hosting three rounds of play during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, loanDepot Park was the site for the 2024 Caribbean Series, which marked the first time that that event was played in an MLB stadium. Reports have indicated it could host the Caribbean Series again in 2028, though it has yet to be confirmed.
2026 WBC Qualifier Sites—According to a report on Yahoo News, Taiwan will host some of the 2026 World Baseball Classic qualifiers in February and March 2025.
The report stated that eight teams, including China, would participate in the qualifier, split into two groups of four at two different venues. Yahoo’s report indicated that Tucson, Ariz. would be the other site for the WBC Qualifiers.
A report from ETToday indicated that the 2026 WBC would include 20 countries for the 20th anniversary of the event, though only 16 countries are currently qualified. It further noted that the countries hoping to qualify for the 2026 WBC include China, Nicaragua, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, Pakistan, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, and Colombia, as well as Chinese Taipei.
Nicaragua, Colombia, Chinese Taipei, and China all played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and finished last in their respective groups, forcing them to qualify for the 2026 event.
