Shohei Ohtani #16 of Japan celebrates on the mound after striking out Mike Trout #27 of the United States. (Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images)
Friday, May 10, marked the 10th anniversary of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and is the debut of World Baseball Softball Day. The WBSC is the governing body of baseball, softball, and Baseball5 worldwide.
The WBSC was founded in 2014 by merging the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation.
“We stand as a single, unified, and strong International Federation,” WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said in a statement released by the WBSC website. “The 10th of May, the day the WBSC was founded in 2014, is a day for us to celebrate our unity and strength, along with our eight Confederations and 191 National Federations.”
In celebration of World Baseball Softball Day, the WBSC hosted a Baseball Pro Leagues Summit in Pully, Switzerland, the location of the WBSC headquarters. Representatives from the Chinese Professional Baseball League, Korea Baseball Organization, Nippon Professional Baseball, and Major League Baseball attended the event earlier this week.
According to the WBSC website, league representatives at the event discussed the continued growth of international baseball, the upcoming Premier12 in November, and baseball’s return to the 2028 Summer Olympics.
The WBSC has held many international tournaments for professional and youth baseball and softball during the past ten years, including the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classic, the 2015 and 2019 WBSC Premier12, and five Women’s Softball World Cups, among countless other events worldwide.
Japan is the No. 1 nation in the World Baseball rankings, having won the 2023 World Baseball Classic over the United States. After Japan, Mexico is the No. 2 ranked country, and the United States is ranked No. 3.
Australia is the No. 1 ranked nation in the World Softball rankings, and Japan and Canada are the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked nations, respectively.
There will be 15 WBSC events during 2024, including the III Premier12 2024 in November, featuring the top 12 ranked nations in baseball.
World No. 2 Mexico, No. 3 USA, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 7 Netherlands, No. 10 Panama, and No. 12 Puerto Rico will compete in Group A from November 10-14 at the Charros de Jalisco Pan American Stadium in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and the Santa Teresita Stadium in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.
Group B will feature No. 1 Japan, No. 4 South Korea, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 8 Cuba, No. 9 Dominican Republic, and No. 11 Australia.
Group B will open on November 13, with Japan playing Australia at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya. From November 12 to 18, the remainder of the games will be played at the Taipei Dome and the Tianmu Stadium in Taipei City.
