2026 World Baseball Classic: Braves Star Ronald Acuña Headlines Venezuela Squad

We all remember the epic championship game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic when Shohei Ohtani struck out Team USA slugger Mike Trout to give Team Japan its third title in five editions of the tournament. Now we are gearing up for the 2026 WBC, which will see Ohtani and Japan try to defend their title in the 20-team competition that includes a stacked USA squad seeking redemption. Among the players committed to Team USA include Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, and Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. We are counting down until the opening pitch of the tournament and bringing you the latest news and updates as rosters get announced. When is the World Baseball Classic? The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be held from March 5–17. Twenty teams have been placed into four pools with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the quarterfinals. Pool A games will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Pool B games will be played at Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros. Pool C games will be played at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Pool D games will be played at LoanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. Pool Play: March 5-11Quarterfinals: March 13–14 (Daikin Park, Houston; LoanDepot Park, Miami)Semifinals: March 15 (LoanDepot Park, Miami)Final: March 17 (LoanDepot Park, Miami) Jan. 29 Acuña, Chourio Will Play for Venezuela Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr and Brewers slugger Jackson Chourio are among the top MLB talents who’ll play for Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic. Acuña was part of Venezuela’s roster for the 2023 edition and later posted a stellar season with the Braves in which he hit 41 homers and had 73 stolen bases. After missing most of the 2024 season with a torn ACL, he returned to the Braves in 2025 to produce a productive campaign (21 HRs, .935 OPS) in 2025. Chourio has been a breakout star for the Brewers, posting at least 20 homers in his first two seasons with Milwaukee. Jan. 28 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. playing for Dominican Republic Guerrero will suit up for the Dominican Republic, the Toronto Blue Jays announced. It will be the first time that the star infielder plays in the World Baseball Classic. Guerrero, a two-time Silver Slugger and five-time All-Star, totaled 23 home runs, 84 RBIs and 4.6 wins above replacement in 156 regular-season games last year for the Blue Jays — who won the American League pennant — while posting a .292/.381/.467 slash line. Then, in the postseason (18 games), Guerrero totaled eight home runs and 15 RBIs, while posting a .397/.494/.795 slash line. Jan. 27 Arenado In For Puerto Rico; Correa Out Third baseman Nolan Arenado is making a team switch for the World Baseball Classic.The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner (who was traded by the Cardinals to the Diamondbacks earlier this month) will join Team Puerto Rico in this year’s event. Arenado represented Team USA in 2023 and 2017. He batted .385 for Team USA in their runner-up effort in 2023, while helping the team win it all in 2017. Puerto Rico’s infield will be anchored by Arenado and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. However, the team will be without Carlos Correa after the Astros star infielder told The Athletic on Tuesday that he didn’t have the insurance in his contract to participate. Correa helped Puerto Rico earn the silver medal in 2017 and had sat out the 2023 tourney after the birth of his child. Cruz Set For Dominican Republic Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz will be making his World Baseball Classic debut when he joins the Dominican Republic squad in March. The 27-year-old, who participated in the 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby, joins a talented D.R. roster that already includes Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., Mets left fielder Juan Soto, and Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez. Cruz led the Pirates in home runs (20) and stolen bases (38) this season. Jan. 26 Japan’s Roster Will Feature Eight MLB Players The defending champions will have a stacked team, with Team Japan finalizing all but one roster spot for their World Baseball Classic campaign. Yamamoto was instrumental in the Dodgers’ back-to-back World Series titles. In 2025, he posted a 2.49 ERA in 173⅔ innings while finishing third in National League Cy Young Award voting. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto confirmed he’ll play on Monday. He’ll join Dodgers teammate Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi, Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, San Diego Padres reliever Yuki Matsui, Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami, Toronto Blue Jays infielder Kazuma Okamoto and free agent right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, who played on Japan’s team in 2023, will sit out this one. It will be the first WBC for Suzuki, who helped Japan win gold at the 2020 Olympics. Jose Altuve Won’t Play For Venezuela at WBC Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will sit out the World Baseball Classic. The two-time World Series champion represents Venezuela, but the Astros reportedly asked him to sit out this year’s edition. The nine-time All-Star suffered a hand injury at the 2023 tournament when he was hit by a pitch, which affected his performance during that season in which he sat out 43 games for the Astros. Altuve slashed .265/.329/.442 with a .771 OPS, recording 26 homers and 77 RBIs through 155 games. Jan. 15 Hats Released For All 20 Teams We have caps! Which one is your favorite? Clayton Kershaw Joins Team USA He may have just finished his 18-year MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the three-time Cy Young Award winner will pitch for Team USA. This will be the first time that Kershaw pitches in the World Baseball Classic. Alex Bregman Joins Team USA Before he makes his anticipated debut for the Cubs, newly signed star third baseman Alex Bregman will don the Team USA uniform for the World Baseball Classic. Bregman is the only third baseman so far to commit to Team USA for the event. He signed a five-year, $175 million deal to join the Northsiders after just one season in Boston. Jan. 13 Alejandro Kirk Named Team Mexico Captain Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk has been named captain for Team Mexico for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Kirk will lead a MLB-heavy lineup that includes stars like Jarren Duran, Randy Arozarena and Jonathan Aranda. The 27-year-old backstop is coming off his second All-Star appearance and was a key part of the Blue Jays reaching the World Series. The Tijuana native slashed .282/.348/.421 with 15 home runs and 76 RBIs during the 2025 season. Clement Will Play for USA Ernie Clement will play for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The 29-year-old infielder helped the Toronto Blue Jays reach the World Series while also setting a postseason record with his 30 hits. Clement finished the postseason with a .411 average, one homer, six doubles, nine RBIs, 13 runs scored and a .977 OPS. Jan. 12 Buxton Joins Team USA All-Star slugger Byron Buxton will join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic. The 32-year-old outfielder had a career season with the Twins, producing homers (35), RBIs (83) and runs scored (97). Buxton also earned his first Silver Slugger of his career. Jan. 11 Freeman Withdraws from Team Canada Team Canada will be without its star player as Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman has reportedly withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. With the 36-year-old sitting out the tournament after helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series title, the Canadians will lean on Mariners slugger Josh Naylor at first base. In other Team Canada news, Los Angeles Angels reliever Jordan Romano has also reportedly pulled out, while Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon will take part. Dec. 23 Harper Will Play for USA Phillies slugger Bryce Harper will play for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic after missing out on the 2023 edition due to surgery. The 33-year-old Harper hit 27 home runs and recorded an .844 OPS in 2025 as the Phillies won the NL East. It will be Harper’s first time playing at the World Baseball Classic, although he has represented Team USA at junior competitions in the past. Nov. 24 Ohtani Back for Team Japan Shohei Ohtani will play for Team Japan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he announced on social media. Japan will be looking to repeat after winning gold in the 2023 Classic. Ohtani was named the tournament’s MVP and memorably struck out former Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out of the final against Team USA. Ohtani helped the Dodgers win the second straight World Series title while earning his fourth MVP award earlier this month. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!