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What Is Honkbal? Inside the Dutch Baseball Tournament That Launched Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews
In 2022, a Team USA collegiate roster traveled to a 4,500-seat stadium in the Netherlands and played a baseball tournament most American fans have never heard of. That roster included Paul Skenes — the future National League Cy Young contender — alongside Dylan Crews, Wyatt Langford, Kyle Teel, and Jacob Wilson. Four years later, all five are MLB names. The tournament is called Honkbalweek Haarlem, and the 2026 edition begins June 26.
Gilmer Lampe of The Netherlands is out on second base in the group match between The Netherlands and Taiwan during the baseball Haarlem Honkbal Week in Haarlem, The Netherlands on 13 July. On the right Hsiao Po Ting of Taiwan. AFP PHOTO / ANP / KOEN SUYK netherlands out (Credit: KOEN SUYK/AFP via Getty Images)
If you have never heard the word “honkbal,” here is the short version, and then everything you need to watch the 2026 tournament.
What Does “Honkbal” Mean?
Honkbal is simply the Dutch word for baseball. It combines honk (base) and bal (ball) — literally “base-ball.” The sport is genuinely popular in the Netherlands, which is, along with Italy, one of the two strongest baseball nations in Europe. The Dutch top league is called the Honkbal Hoofdklasse, and the national program has produced a remarkable number of Major Leaguers for a country its size: Xander Bogaerts, Kenley Jansen, Andruw Jones, Andrelton Simmons, and Jurickson Profar all trace their roots to the Kingdom of the Netherlands baseball system.
A common follow-up question: what is the difference between baseball (honkbal) and softball? The Netherlands plays both at a high level. The short answer is that softball uses a larger ball, a smaller field, and underhand pitching, while baseball (honkbal) uses a smaller ball, a larger field, and overhand pitching. The two sports share a federation in the Netherlands — the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB) — and Honkbalweek is the country’s premier baseball showcase.
Curacao’s center fielder Jurickson Profar, and right fielder Ademar Rifaela (9) celebrate at the end of a Caribbean Series baseball game against Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, in Miami, Fla. Curacao defeated Puerto Rico 2-0.(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
What Is Honkbalweek Haarlem?
Honkbalweek — “baseball week” — is an international invitational tournament first held in 1961, staged every even-numbered year at the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem. The 2026 tournament is the 32nd edition and runs June 26 through July 4. The stadium is the spiritual home of Dutch baseball, housing the Dutch Baseball Hall of Fame.
Because the United States and Japan traditionally send their collegiate national teams, Honkbalweek has become a remarkable preview window for future stars. That 2022 Team USA roster — Skenes, Crews, Langford, Teel, Wilson — is the clearest recent example. Japan’s 2018 team featured future Eiji Sawamura Award winner Hiromi Itoh and NPB star Teruaki Sato. The United States has won 14 gold medals, the most of any nation.
Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem, Netherlands.
Who’s Playing in 2026
Six teams are in the 2026 field. Here they are, with their current World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) world ranking:
- Chinese Taipei — WBSC No. 2 in the world. The headliner. A top-three global baseball nation that almost no American outlet is covering this summer.
- Kingdom of the Netherlands — WBSC No. 10. The host nation, the program behind Bogaerts and Profar.
- Italy — WBSC No. 14. The Azzurri. (WBN covers Italian baseball and Serie A1 as the league’s English-language partner.)
- Czechia — WBSC No. 16. The breakout story of the last World Baseball Classic cycle.
- v— WBSC No. 29. The tiny Caribbean island that produces MLB talent at an astonishing per-capita rate.
- International Globetrotters — a barnstorming all-star team of overseas professionals, affiliated with Baseball Jobs Overseas, replacing the Dominican Republic in the 2026 field. (See our separate WBN feature on them — they are the tournament’s wild card.)
The Dominican Republic withdrew to focus on the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo (July 31–August 7). The Globetrotters took their place.
Curaçao Looking to Form Independent Team for Next World Baseball Classic
The Full 2026 Schedule (with U.S. Eastern Times)
All games are at Pim Mulier Stadium. Haarlem is six hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Time, so the marquee Dutch night games are early-afternoon viewing in America.
Single Round Robin — June 26–July 1
- Fri, June 26: Italy vs. Czechia (9:00 AM ET) · Netherlands vs. Globetrotters (1:30 PM ET)
- Sat, June 27: Chinese Taipei vs. Curaçao (5:30 AM ET) · Globetrotters vs. Czechia (9:00 AM ET) · Italy vs. Netherlands (1:30 PM ET)
- Sun, June 28: Globetrotters vs. Italy (5:30 AM ET) · Chinese Taipei vs. Netherlands (9:00 AM ET) · Czechia vs. Curaçao (1:30 PM ET)
- Mon, June 29: Chinese Taipei vs. Czechia (9:00 AM ET) · Curaçao vs. Italy (1:30 PM ET)
- Tue, June 30: Globetrotters vs. Chinese Taipei (9:00 AM ET) · Netherlands vs. Curaçao (1:30 PM ET)
- Wed, July 1: Italy vs. Chinese Taipei (5:30 AM ET) · Curaçao vs. Globetrotters (9:00 AM ET) · Czechia vs. Netherlands (1:30 PM ET)
Playoff Stage — July 2–4
- Thu, July 2: #3 vs. #4 (9:00 AM ET) · #1 vs. #2 (1:30 PM ET)
- Fri, July 3: #5 vs. #6 (9:00 AM ET) · consolation (1:30 PM ET)
- Sat, July 4: Old Stars Game (6:00 AM ET) · Championship Game (9:00 AM ET)
The Old Stars Game on July 4 morning is a Honkbalweek tradition — alumni and tournament veterans take the field before the title game.
How to Watch from the United States
- Live stats and box scores: Every game is tracked in real time at the KNBSB stats portal: stats.knbsbstats.nl.
- Streaming: Honkbalweek games are typically streamed via the tournament’s official channels. Check honkbalweek.nl for 2026 broadcast and streaming partners.
- Tickets (if you’re in Europe): Regular tickets range from roughly €14 (youth) to €38 (adult), available via the official site.
- WBN coverage: The World Baseball Network’s Matt Tallarini is reporting on-site from Haarlem throughout the tournament.
Why It’s Worth Your Time
The next Paul Skenes might be on the field at Pim Mulier Stadium this summer. Chinese Taipei is a top-three team in the world that American television will not show you. The Dutch program that produced Xander Bogaerts is playing at home. And a barnstorming team of overseas journeymen is crashing the whole thing. Honkbalweek Haarlem is the rare international tournament that rewards exactly the kind of curiosity that brought you to the word “honkbal” in the first place.
First pitch is June 26. WBN will be there for all nine days.
For the official schedule, tickets, and fan-zone events, visit honkbalweek.nl. For live stats, see the KNBSB portal. For our companion feature on the International Globetrotters and more international baseball from the World Baseball Network, visit worldbaseball.com.
