Venezuelan and Major League Baseball veteran catcher Salvador Perez was named national team captain for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Salvador Perez has been named captain of Team Venezuela for the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic! pic.twitter.com/6ARorQwAMv
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) November 24, 2025
The Federación Venezolana de Beisbol announced Perez as the captain.
#Breves 🗞️#ClasicoMundialDeBeisbol#WBC2026
Oficialmente anunciamos a Salvador Pérez @salvadorperez15 como el capitán del #TBV para el evento
Encargado de guiar al TBV al objetivo
💻 https://t.co/N4W3BNOR1e#LaQueNosVuelveLocos #WorldBaseballClassic #FEVEBEISBOL@Royals pic.twitter.com/fniYwPyF4j— Team Beisbol Venezuela (@TeamBeisbolVe) November 24, 2025
Venezuela is ranked fifth in the World Baseball Rankings published by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
Venezuela will play in Pool D at the 2026 event in Miami, Fla. at loanDepot Park from March 6–11 and will go up against the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Israel and the Netherlands under returning manager Omar Lopez, the current bench coach of the Houston Astros.
Other Venezuelan catchers who could be options for Lopez on the 2026 WBC roster are William and Willson Contreras, Gabriel Moreno and Francisco Alvarez, who can fill backup roles for the tournament.
Perez has played in the World Baseball Classic since the 2013 tournament and has appeared in three consecutive events in 2013, 2017 and 2023.
Perez helped Venezuela reach the quarterfinals of the 2023 WBC at loanDepot Park, where they lost 9–7 to the United States.
Perez played in four games at the 2023 event and posted a batting line of .429 .467 .929 in 14 at bats, scoring five runs with six hits, four doubles, one home run, six RBI and one strikeout.
In the 2017 WBC, Perez played in two games and hit .286 .375 .857 in seven at bats, scoring two runs with two hits, one double, one home run, two RBI and one walk.
During his first WBC appearance in 2013, Perez played in two games and had a batting line of .200 .200 .400 in five at bats with one run scored, one hit, one double and one strikeout.
The thirty five year old right handed slugger from Valencia, Venezuela has played 14 seasons with the Kansas City Royals since his rookie year in 2011. He has been selected as an All Star nine times from 2013–18, 2021, 2023 and 2024, was named the 2015 World Series Most Valuable Player, selected to the All MLB First Team in 2020 and 2021, won the Gold Glove Award from 2013–16 and in 2018, earned the Silver Slugger Award in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2024, won the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2020 and received the Roberto Clemente Award in 2024. He was the Major League Baseball home run co leader in 2021 with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 48 home runs and led MLB in RBI that season.
Last season, Perez posted 0.4 WAR while playing in 155 games. He hit .236 in 641 plate appearances with 141 hits, 35 doubles, 30 home runs, 100 RBI, 28 walks, 125 strikeouts and a .729 OPS.
Defensively, Perez played in 92 games behind the plate and made 89 starts, logging 761.2 innings with 693 total chances, 663 putouts, 30 assists and two double plays. He committed no errors, allowed two passed balls and 38 wild pitches, with runners stealing 18 bases and getting thrown out 14 times for a 43.8 caught stealing percentage.
In 2024, Perez posted 2.5 WAR, playing in 158 games and batting .271 with 652 plate appearances, 160 hits, 28 doubles, 27 home runs, 104 RBI, 44 walks, 129 strikeouts and a .786 OPS.
Perez caught 91 games and made 90 starts in 2024, working 765 innings with 760 chances, 730 putouts, 25 assists, five errors and seven double plays with a .993 fielding percentage. He allowed three passed balls and 30 wild pitches, while runners stole 37 bases and he threw out 11, posting a 22.9 caught stealing percentage.
Perez has played 1,707 games in his 14 seasons, compiling 35.5 WAR with a .264 average in 6,904 plate appearances, 1,712 hits, 320 doubles, 11 triples, 303 home runs, 1,016 RBI, six stolen bases, 271 walks, 1,303 strikeouts and a .759 OPS.
100 Days Until 2026 WBC Begins
https://x.com/WBCBaseball/status/1993044314411475205
2026 World Baseball Classic Information
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be televised on FOX for the second consecutive time since 2023.
Major League Baseball and World Baseball Classic Inc. made the announcement on October 7.
https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/news/fox-sports-to-air-world-baseball-classic-2026
FOX also announced on October 7 that they secured United States broadcast rights for the 2026 WBC, which will culminate in the championship game on Tuesday, March 17 from Miami’s loanDepot Park.
https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/1975646490480578981
The 2026 season will be the 30th year that FOX Sports has covered Major League Baseball events since 1996.
Japan has won the most WBC championships with three titles in 2006, 2009 and 2023. The United States won in 2017 and the Dominican Republic won in 2013 and they 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 sport’s governing body, alongside Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association and WBCI, which partner to organize the event during spring training.
The 2026 WBC pool matchups and venues are listed at:
https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/venues
If teams end up with the same record in pool play, the Total Quality Balance run differential rule will be used for runs scored and runs allowed, along with head to head record.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be held with Pool A in San Juan, Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium, Pool B in Houston, Texas at Daikin Park and Pool D at loanDepot Park in Miami, Fla. from March 6–11.
Pool C will be held from March 5–10 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
The WBC quarterfinals will be played on March 13 at Daikin Park and on March 14 at loanDepot Park.
The semifinals on March 15–16 and the championship game on March 17 will be at loanDepot Park.
Pool A will have host nation Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Panama and Canada.
Pool B will have the United States, Mexico, Italy, Brazil and Great Britain.
Pool C will consist of host nation Japan, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Australia and the Czech Republic.
Pool D will have the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Israel and the Netherlands.
The pool locations and schedule are also listed at:
https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/venues
All confirmed game start times are located on the landing page at:
https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic
Ticket information is listed at:
https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-classic/tickets
All game start times below are listed in Eastern Daylight Time.
2026 WBC Pool Matchups With Confirmed Dates
Pool A – Puerto Rico, Colombia, Panama, Canada and Cuba
Venue – Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 6
Game 1 – Cuba vs. Panama – 11 a.m. EDT
Game 2 – Puerto Rico vs. Colombia – 6 p.m. EDT
March 7
Game 3 – Colombia vs. Canada – 11 a.m. EDT
Game 4 – Panama vs. Puerto Rico – 6 p.m. EDT
March 8
Game 5 – Colombia vs. Cuba – 12 p.m. EDT
Game 6 – Panama vs. Canada – 7 p.m. EDT
March 9
Game 7 – Colombia vs. Panama – 12 p.m. EDT
Game 8 – Cuba vs. Puerto Rico – 7 p.m. EDT
March 10
Game 9 – Canada vs. Puerto Rico – 7 p.m. EDT
March 11
Game 10 – Canada vs. Cuba – 3 p.m. EDT
Pool B – United States, Mexico, Brazil, Great Britain and Italy
Venue – Daikin Park – Houston, Texas
March 6
Game 1 – Mexico vs. Great Britain – 1 p.m. EDT
Game 2 – United States vs. Brazil – 8 p.m. EDT
March 7
Game 3 – Brazil vs. Italy – 1 p.m. EDT
Game 4 – Great Britain vs. United States – 8 p.m. EDT
March 8
Game 5 – Great Britain vs. Italy – 1 p.m. EDT
Game 6 – Brazil vs. Mexico – 8 p.m. EDT
March 9
Game 7 – Brazil vs. Great Britain – 1 p.m. EDT
Game 8 – Mexico vs. United States – 8 p.m. EDT
March 10
Game 9 – Italy vs. United States – 9 p.m. EDT
March 11
Game 10 – Italy vs. Mexico – 7 p.m. EDT
Pool C – Japan, Chinese Taipei, Australia, South Korea and Czech Republic
Venue – Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan
March 5
Game 1 – Chinese Taipei vs. Australia – March 4 – 10 p.m. EDT
Game 2 – Czechia vs. South Korea – 5 a.m. EDT
March 6
Game 3 – Australia vs. Czechia – March 5 – 10 p.m. EDT
Game 4 – Japan vs. Chinese Taipei – 5 a.m. EDT
March 7
Game 5 – Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia – March 6 – 10 p.m. EDT
Game 6 – South Korea vs. Japan – 5 a.m. EDT
March 8
Game 7 – Chinese Taipei vs. South Korea – March 7 – 10 p.m. EDT
Game 8 – Australia vs. Japan – 6 a.m. EDT
March 9
Game 9 – South Korea vs. Australia – 6 a.m. EDT
March 10
Game 10 – Czechia vs. Japan – 6 a.m. EDT
Pool D – Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Venezuela, Israel and Nicaragua
Venue – loanDepot Park – Miami, Fla.
March 6
Game 1 – Netherlands vs. Venezuela – 12 p.m. EDT
Game 2 – Nicaragua vs. Dominican Republic – 7 p.m. EDT
March 7
Game 3 – Nicaragua vs. Netherlands – 12 p.m. EDT
Game 4 – Israel vs. Venezuela – 7 p.m. EDT
March 8
Game 5 – Netherlands vs. Dominican Republic – 12 p.m. EDT
Game 6 – Nicaragua vs. Israel – 7 p.m. EDT
March 9
Game 7 – Dominican Republic vs. Israel – 12 p.m. EDT
Game 8 – Venezuela vs. Nicaragua – 7 p.m. EDT
March 10
Game 9 – Israel vs. Netherlands – 7 p.m. EDT
March 11
Game 10 – Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela – 8 p.m. EDT
