Team USA is moving on in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. It was more nerve-wracking than expected, but the Americans are through to the semifinals thanks to Italy’s win over Mexico on Wednesday night. Team USA lost to Italy on Tuesday and had to sweat out Wednesday’s result. A narrow Mexico win would’ve sent the Americans packing. Instead, they’re moving on and will face northern neighbor Canada in the quarterfinals on Friday in Houston (8 p.m. ET, Fox/fubo).
Team USA and Canada are joined by Italy, Puerto Rico, Japan, Korea, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic in the knockout stage. The quarterfinals will be held Friday and Saturday, the semifinals will be Sunday and Monday and the 2026 World Baseball Classic championship game is set for Tuesday. The semis and title game will be held at Marlins Park in Miami.
Team USA finished in second place in Pool B, going 3-1 in group play. The U.S. easily beat Brazil and Great Britain before a close win over Mexico. The Americans then shockingly lost to Italy on Tuesday and set up a scenario where their quarterfinal fate was out of their hands. Italy, though, finished off a perfect round of pool play by beating Mexico to earn first place in Pool B. Italy’s win over Mexico prevented the knockout spots from being determined by the complicated WBC tiebreaker rules.
Italy will go up against Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. Puerto Rico finished in second place in Pool A after losing to Canada on Tuesday. The Canadians went 3-1 in pool play, and they had a 1.50 team ERA in four games. D-backs right Michael Soroka started Canada’s opener against Colombia and would be in line to pitch again Friday against Team USA. Logan Webb is scheduled to get the ball for the Americans.
The Dominican Republic beat Venezuela to earn the top spot in Pool D on Wednesday night. The Dominican Republic will face Korea in the quarterfinals, and the team could potentially face Team USA in the semis on Sunday night if both squads advance. The D.R.’s incredibly powerful lineup did not disappoint in the group stage. Among the top seven hitters in the Dominican Republic lineup (Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte, Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Junior Caminero and Julio Rodríguez), the lowest OPS of the group was Manny Machado’s .859 in group play.
Venezuela, meanwhile, will face reigning champion Japan and Shohei Ohtani in the quarterfinals on Saturday night.
Here’s a look at the 2026 World Baseball Classic bracket:
2026 World Baseball Classic bracket
World Baseball Classic/MLB
World Baseball Classic knockout stage schedule
All games are available to stream on fubo (Try for free).
Quarterfinals
Friday, March 13
Dominican Republic vs. Korea, 6:30 p.m. ET, FS2
United States vs. Canada, 8 p.m. ET, Fox
Saturday, March 14
Italy vs. Puerto Rico, 3 p.m. ET, FS1
Japan vs. Venezuela, 9 p.m. ET, Fox
Semifinals
Sunday, March 15
TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Monday, March 16
TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Championship game
Tuesday, March 17
TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
FanDuel still considers Team USA to be the favorite to win the WBC (+130 odds). The Dominican Republic is second (+290), ahead of Japan (+420) and Venezuela (+500)
Japan took down the United States in the 2023 title game, with Ohtani famously striking out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out. Will the bracket provide a rematch? Or will the star-studded Dominican lineup or another team make a run at the trophy this year? We’ll find out in the coming days.
