The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) released the newest 2023 World Baseball Rankings on December 31.
The WBSC, along with their regional sectors of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, rank member nations who earn points for appearing in separate international competitions during the year based upon the final result of each tournament.
Japan remains No. 1 in the WBSC’s world rankings, going into the new year at the top after placing high in tournaments they have appeared along with winning gold during the U-23 World Cup in Taiwan from October.
A few surprises have arose from the 2022 WBSC calendar of events. Curacao, an up-and-coming talent pool in the WBSC Americas sector, had the biggest improvement from 2022’s rankings, gaining 11 spots from their previous ranking, 44th, and now stand at No. 33.
Curacao earned their rankings by placing second during the Honkbalweek Haarlem Tournament in the Netherlands, along with a third-place finish in the 2022 Caribbean Cup in the Bahamas in December, earning the island a berth in the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador next June.
The Dominican Republic fell three places, dropping from sixth to being ranked ninth in the world, partially due to the D.R. not participating in the WBSC U-18 and U-23 events in 2022.
Under the points system the World Baseball Softball Confederation uses to determine the World Rankings, the winner of the upcoming World Baseball Classic in March will receive 1,000 points plus a 150 point bonus, while the other participating countries will receive 100 points for being in the field.
The WBSC Premier 12, which is slated for late 2024, is an event where teams will receive 120 points for participating, with the winner earning 1,200 points plus a 180 point bonus.
The full methodology of the WBSC’s World Baseball Rankings is available on the WBSC’s website.
The WBSC will have one baseball event in 2023, the U-12 Baseball World Cup from July 28 to August 6, where certain countries will have a chance to go up in the rankings for overall youth and senior events.
The Top 25 Nations in the WBSC World Baseball Rankings:
| Rank | Nation | Previous Ranking | Points |
| 1 | Japan | 4179 | |
| 2 | Chinese Taipei | 3819 | |
| 3 | U.S.A. | 5 | 3449 |
| 4 | South Korea | 3 | 3428 |
| 5 | Mexico | 4 | 3273 |
| 6 | Venezuela | 7 | 2723 |
| 7 | Netherlands | 8 | 2468 |
| 8 | Cuba | 9 | 2246 |
| 9 | Dominican Republic | 6 | 1894 |
| 10 | Australia | 1889 | |
| 11 | Colombia | 1669 | |
| 12 | Panama | 13 | 1529 |
| 13 | Puerto Rico | 16 | 1419 |
| 14 | Canada | 12 | 1404 |
| 15 | Czech Republic | 14 | 1309 |
| 16 | Italy | 17 | 1206 |
| 17 | Nicaragua | 15 | 1117 |
| 18 | Germany | 1071 | |
| 19 | Spain | 806 | |
| 20 | Israel | 702 | |
| 21 | France | 22 | 672 |
| 22 | Great Britain | 24 | 450 |
| 23 | Brazil | 423 | |
| 24 | Belgium | 25 | 412 |
| 25 | South Africa | 26 | 385 |
