Miami’s loanDepot Park will play host to the championship game of the World Baseball Classic for the second consecutive time when the tournament takes place again in 2026.
The Miami Marlins’ home park was the scene of the 2023 WBC title game when Shohei Ohtani faced off against the United States’ Mike Trout and finished off a strikeout to make Japan the world champions. Ohtani and Trout were teammates at the time with the Los Angeles Angels.
Other WBC sites in 2026 will include Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Minute Maid Park in Houston and Tokyo Dome in Japan. loanDepot Park will play host to all three rounds of the 2026 tournament.
Houston will play host to WBC games for the first time, while the tournament will return to San Juan for the first time since 2013.
“… We are proud to once again bring the incredible tournament back to South Florida, the go-to destination for jewel global events,” Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman said in a release. “It is a tremendous honor to once again serve as host for all three rounds, including the prestigious final.”
The Astros will become the ninth different MLB regular-season ballpark to play host to WBC games, along with parks of the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Marlins, who have played host in two different venues.
“We are excited and honored to be hosting World Baseball Classic matchups for the first time,” Astros owner and chairman Jim Crane said. “Houston is a global city with the best baseball fans, and we are proud to welcome fans from across the globe to watch international competition at Minute Maid Park. Thank you to MLB, the MLBPA, and the City of Houston for their support – we are looking forward to an exciting tournament in 2026.”
In addition to Miami, WBC championship games have been played at San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The WBC will be played for the sixth time in 2026. Japan has earned titles in 2006, 2009 and 2023. The Dominican Republic was the 2013 champion and the United States won the title in 2017.
The 2021 tournament was postponed amid the aftereffects of the 2020 pandemic.
–Field Level Media