World Baseball Classic Announces Dates and Venues for 2021 Event
By Brady Williams
The next World Baseball Classic, the fifth ever event, will take place in 2021. After a long wait, the dates and locations have been named.
WBC Baseball made the announcement in a 40-minute press conference they posted to Twitter. The games will be played in Taichung, Taiwan; Taoyuan, Taiwan; Tokyo, Japan; Phoenix, Arizona and Miami, Florida. The event takes place over the span of Mar. 9-21, with a number of new teams entering the fold.
Dates and Venues Announcement for the 2021 World Baseball Classic! https://t.co/CBOYgQsDJO
— WBC Baseball (@WBCBaseball) February 25, 2020
The Classic will be adding four new teams in the upcoming competition. These teams will be decided after the 2020 Qualifiers that will be held Mar. 13-25. Tuscon, Ariz. will host the event, and the winners will join the 16 teams that have previously participated. Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States, and Venezuela are all returning.
This marks the second time Taiwan has hosted games in the WBC, while the United States and Japan have held contests in each of the last four Classics. In particular, Miami will be upping its duties hosting all three rounds, leaving South Beach baseball fans very excited.
In 2021, the World Baseball Classic is coming back to Miami, where it belongs, this time for ALL THREE ROUNDS ??????????????? pic.twitter.com/DgqG5FVdPb
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) February 25, 2020
The World Baseball Classic drew in around $100 million in revenue in 2017, and with more participation, it looks set to be a huge draw for baseball fans.