Fox Sports to Air 2026 World Baseball Classic, including the March 17 tournament
We all remember the epic conclusion to the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Japan and the United States locked in an instant classic with the title on the line. Shohei Ohtani stared down fellow MLB superstar – and then-teammate – Mike Trout with two outs.
And now we’re set for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which will once again feature the world’s best players representing their countries, throughout March 2026.
FOX is set to air seven games, including three Pool B games featuring the United States team, two Quarterfinals games and the World Baseball Classic Championship Game on Tuesday, March 17 from Miami’s loanDepot Park.
The remaining matchups will air across FS1, FS2, the FOX Sports app, FOX One and Tubi – full schedule and designations to be announced at a later date. In addition, FOX Deportes will carry 28 tournament games in Spanish including all four Quarterfinals games, two Semifinals contests, and the Championship Game.
The 2026 edition of the WBC will be the sixth iteration of the global baseball tournament that will feature 20 teams competing in four first round pools in Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Houston, Texas; and Miami, Florida, starting on Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5, 2026.
| Pool | Location | Teams | A | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama, Colombia | B | Houston | United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil | C | Tokyo, Japan | Japan, Australia, South Korea, Czechia, Chinese Taipei | D | Miami | Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel, Nicaragua |
The 2023 championship game averaged 5.2 million viewers and peaked at 6.5 million when the game was decided in the bottom of the ninth with Ohtiani and Trout, Angels teammates at the time, in one of the most memorable at-bats in recent baseball history.
With Fox broadcasting Major League Baseball since 1996, the World Baseball Classic will precede the network’s 30th season of MLB coverage.
“The World Baseball Classic embodies everything we love about the game – passion, pride and world-class talent,” said FOX Sports Executive Vice President and President of Programming and Scheduling. “Following the widespread excitement of the tournament and an unforgettable finish to 2023, we are honored to once again bring this premier global event to fans across the country.”
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