Miami has established itself as the capital of national team tournaments in baseball and none of that will change for 2026, when the sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic will be held and the home of the Marlins will once again have the honor of hosting the most important duels of the competition.
The office of the Major Leagues announced this Thursday that Miami, like Tokyo, will repeat as venues for the highest national team tournament in baseball, while San Juan, Puerto Rico, will once again host commitments of the contest for the first time since 2013, while Houston will do so for the first time.
The WBC first round challenges will be distributed among the four venues, while the semifinals will be held by Houston and Miami. The decisive clash will take place again in the house of the fish.
Miami has opened its doors for the Classic since 2009 and has served as the setting for some of the most memorable moments in the competition's young history, including Japan's memorable comeback against Mexico in the year's semifinals. or past, Nelson Cruz's three-run homer that helped the Dominican Republic beat the United States in 2017 or David Wright's bases-loaded single to knock out Puerto Rico in 2009.
The Tokyo Dome is the only venue that has hosted every edition of the event so far and the fans have responded in an exemplary manner to all events.
End of the sweet wait:
For its part, Hiram Bithorn from San Juan managed to make the long-awaited return of the prestigious tournament to a territory that has seen the birth of many of the discipline's main Latin stars.
“The return of the World Baseball Classic to Puerto Rico reaffirms our city's ability to host major international tournaments and commitment to bringing the best baseball in the world to our shores,” said Miguel Romero, Mayor of San Juan, in statements to MLB.com.
