The World Baseball Classic is back after last being played in 2017. This year’s event will begin with four pools of five teams each vying for the championship.
The United States is the defending champion and one of the favorites to win this year’s tournament. Its roster is headlined by Mike Trout and Mookie Betts. But the Americans will have have their work cut out for them.
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Japan and the Dominican Republic are the other favorites. Japan is fielding a large contingent of NPB talent alongside Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish, while the Dominicans boast a veritable all-star team.
In one of several scheduling changes from years past, pool play will conclude March 15 in North America, on the same day as the first quarterfinal matchup in Asia.
Here’s what you need to know for this year’s World Baseball Classic, including the bracket and schedule.
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World Baseball Classic 2023 bracket
The 2023 World Baseball Classic doesn’t have a traditional “bracket” format. Rather, it will use round-robin play, with teams in each pool advancing to the quarterfinals. The top two finishers in Pools A and B will play in the Tokyo Dome, while the first two finishers in Pools C and D will play at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
The semifinals and final will be played in LoanDepot Park.
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World Baseball Classic 2023 schedule
The World Baseball Classic will start March 8 in Chinese Taipei (March 7 in the United States) with with Pool A play. The games in every round will air on the Fox family of networks. (All times listed are Eastern in the United States.)
Pool A (Chinese Taipei)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 7 | 11 p.m. | Cuba vs. Netherlands | FS1 |
| March 8 | 6 a.m. | Panama vs. Chinese Taipei | FS2 |
| March 8 | 11 p.m. | Panama vs. Netherlands | FS2 |
| March 9 | 6 a.m. | Italy vs. Cuba | Tubi |
| March 9 | 11:30 p.m. | Cuba vs. Panama | FS1 |
| March 10 | 6 a.m. | Italy vs. Chinese Taipei | Tubi |
| March 10 | 11 p.m. | Panama vs. Italy | FS1 |
| March 11 | 6 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Chinese Taipei | FS2 |
| March 11 | 11 p.m. | Chinese Taipei vs. Cuba | FS2 |
| March 12 | 7 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Italy | FS2 |
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Pool B (Tokyo)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 8 | 10 p.m. | Australia vs. South Korea | FS1 |
| March 9 | 5 a.m. | China vs. Japan | FS2 |
| March 9 | 10 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. China | Tubi |
| March 10 | 5 a.m. | Korea vs. Japan | FS2 |
| March 10 | 10 p.m. | China vs. Australia | FS2 |
| March 11 | 5 a.m. | Czech Republic vs. Japan | FS1 |
| March 11 | 10 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. Korea | FS1 |
| March 12 | 6 a.m. | Japan vs. Australia | FS1 |
| March 12 | 11 p.m. | Australia vs. Czech Republic | FS2 |
| March 13 | 6 a.m. | Korea vs. China | FS2 |
Pool C (Phoenix)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Colombia vs. Mexico | Fox |
| March 11 | 10 p.m. | Great Britain vs. USA | Fox |
| March 12 | 3 p.m. | Great Britain vs. Canada | FS1 |
| March 12 | 10 p.m. | Mexico vs. USA | FS1 |
| March 13 | 3 p.m. | Colombia vs. Great Britain | FS2 |
| March 13 | 10 p.m. | Canada vs. USA | FS1 |
| March 14 | 3 p.m. | Canada vs. Colombia | FS2 |
| March 14 | 10 p.m. | Great Britain vs. Mexico | FS1 |
| March 15 | 3 p.m. | Mexico vs. Canada | FS2 |
| March 15 | 10 p.m. | USA vs. Colombia | FS1 |
Pool D (Miami)
| Date | Time | Matchup | TV |
| March 11 | Noon | Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico | FS2 |
| March 11 | 7 p.m. | Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela | FS1 |
| March 12 | Noon | Nicaragua vs. Israel | FS2 |
| March 12 | 7 p.m. | Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico | FS1 |
| March 13 | Noon | Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua | FS2 |
| March 13 | 7 p.m. | Israel vs. Puerto Rico | FS1 |
| March 14 | Noon | Nicaragua vs. Venezuela | FS2 |
| March 14 | 7 p.m. | Israel vs. Dominican Republic | FS2 |
| March 15 | Noon | Venezuela vs. Israel | FS2 |
| March 15 | 7 p.m. | Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic | FS2 |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | TV |
| March 15 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Pool B runner-up vs. Pool A winner | FS2 |
| March 16 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B winner | FS2 |
| March 17 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner | FS1 |
| March 18 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool D runner-up vs. Pool C winner | Fox |
Semifinals
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | TV |
| March 19 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Quarterfinal 1 winner vs. Quarterfinal 3 winner | FS1 |
| March 20 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Quarterfinal 2 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner | FS1 |
Championship
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | TV |
| March 21 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner | FS1 |
What channel is the World Baseball Classic on?
- TV channels: Fox, FS1, FS2, Tubi
- Live stream: FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app, fuboTV
The 2023 World Baseball Classic will be broadcast in the U.S. by the Fox family of networks, with games airing on Fox, FS1 and FS2.
Games can be streamed on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app with a cable subscription, and fuboTV, which offers a free trial.