The World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) announced the date, location and participating teams for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) on July 8. Affected by the epidemic, WBC returns again after five years. The fifth World Baseball Classic will be held from March 8 to 21, 2023 at the following locations: Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, Tokyo Dome, Japan, Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Miami Marlins, Florida Fish team's home stadium - loanDepot Stadium.
World Baseball Classic is the official national team world championship certified by the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC). It is an international baseball competition originally planned by MLB. It is also one of the highest level international baseball games in the world. . WBC is also one of the few large-scale top international baseball events attended by MLB professional players.
As a team that has been participating in the first WBC, the Chinese national baseball team is actively preparing for this event and will once again be on the world stage to compete for the championship. The scale of participation in the 2023 WBC will be expanded to 20 teams, which is the first time in the history of the competition. The 16 teams that participated in the 2017 WBC will be invited to participate in the 2023 Classic, and the four teams that advanced in the 2022 qualifiers will also join. The qualifiers will be held at the Armin-Wolf-Arena in Regensburg, Germany, from September 16 to 21, and at the Rod Carew National Stadium in Panama City, Panama, from September 30 to October 5. The 2023 World Baseball Classic will have 5 teams competing in the first round of group rounds. The top two teams in each of the four groups in the first round will advance to the quarter-finals, while the top two teams in each quarter-final will advance to the finals.
Taichung City, Taiwan, China will host the Group A competition from March 8th to 13th. The participating teams come from Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Italy, Netherlands and the champions of the 2022 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. This marks the second time that Taiwan, China, will be the host of the World Baseball Classic (Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium was also the host of the 2013 Classic).
Mosy Hu, President of Hanchuang Sports Marketing Co., Ltd. said: "The 2013 World Baseball Classic is still the most unforgettable international baseball game for Taiwanese fans. The Chinese Taipei team's strong performance in their hometown home court is deeply rooted in the hearts of millions of locals. In the memory of baseball fans. Our company is honored to announce that the World Baseball Classic will return in March 2023. We are happy to have the opportunity to support the competition again and look forward to welcoming participating federations and friends from all over the world as the host. ”
As the host of the previous four World Baseball Classics (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017), Tokyo Dome will once again serve as the host to host the 2023 first round (Group B) and quarterfinals. The Group B competition will be held from March 9 to 13 between Japan, South Korea, China, Australia and the 2022 qualifier champion team. The quarter-finals to be held in Taiwan, China, from March 15 to 16 will be between the top two teams in Group B and the two teams that advance from Group A.
Takashi Yamada, Director of Culture and Sports Programs at The Yomiuri Shimbun, said: "I would like to express my deepest respect to the World Baseball Classic Corporation for all its efforts to host the 2023 World Baseball Classic after a two-year postponement. , the 2023 competition will be more significant than in the past, showing the unity of the world. As the host of the fifth consecutive competition, Tokyo is committed to going all out to successfully achieve our common goals."
Chase Stadium will continue to host 2006 and 2013. After the first round of the year, it will serve as the host of the World Baseball Classic and host Group C games from March 11 to 15, 2023. At that time, the defending champion United States team of the World Baseball Classic will compete with Canada, Mexico, Colombia and the qualifiers. The championship teams battle it out.
Diamondbacks President and CEO Derek Hall said: "We are honored and excited to welcome fans to Chase Field for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. This tournament will once again showcase Arizona's ability to host major international sporting events. 's reputation.I'm proud that the D-backs will host teams from the United States, Mexico, Canada, Colombia and more to cheer on some of the most talented players in the world. The passion of our fans created exciting and unforgettable memories at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and I believe their pride and passion will be on display for the world to see again.
Miami’s loanDepot Stadium will become the first host venue in the history of the Classic to host all three rounds of competition in the same year. The first round of Group D matches will be held from March 11 to 15; The final teams of Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel, Dominica and the 2022 qualifying champion teams will compete in the North American quarters from March 17th to March 18th. Finals, while the semifinals and finals will be played March 19-21.
Marlins Chairman Bruce Sherman said: "It is a great honor and we join our fans, partners and the entire South Florida community in thanking the MLB. Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association selected Loan Depot Stadium to host all three rounds of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. We look forward to fans from all over the world coming to loanDepot Stadium to cheer for the many top players participating in this grand event. "
With the help of MLB, many outstanding baseball players will participate, which will definitely inject more strength and excitement into the WBC. At the same time, we also look forward to Chinese baseball leaving a mark in top international events.
