WBC 2023: the fight for baseball's throne begins

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is underway. From March 7-21, the 20 best countries face off in the most important international baseball tournament on the planet. Each national team will compete to be crowned 2023 world champion. The United States will have the complicated task of defending the title it won in 2017.

The tournament will begin with Cuba facing off against the Netherlands on March 7, while the United States will make its debut on March 11 against the United Kingdom (19:00 CT).

This year's tournament was scheduled to be held in 2021 but had to be postponed for two years due to the pandemic. The organizers decided to keep the same venues.

Taiwan, Japan and the United States are this year’s WBC hosts. Games will be played in the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium (Taiwan), Tokyo Dome (Japan), and Chase Field (Phoenix, Arizona). The semi finals and finals will be played in LoanDepot Park (Miami, Florida).

Group stage

This year's WBC will be different than previous years. This year, 20 teams will compete, compared to the usual 16. The teams will be divided into the following four groups. The top two teams in each group will move on to the next round:

- Group A: Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Cuba, Italy and Panama. They will play at the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan.

- Group B: Japan, South Korea, China, Australia and Czech Republic. They will play at the Tokyo Dome (Japan).

- Group C: United States, Mexico, Colombia, Canada and United Kingdom. They will play at Chase Field (Phoenix, Arizona).

- Group D: Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Israel and Nicaragua. They will play at LoanDepot Park (Miami, Florida).

Each of the teams has already published their rosters. The United States will rely on third baseman Nolan Arenado and center fielder Mike Trout to secure its second gold medal. On the other hand, Japanese hitter Shohei Ohtani, Canadian first baseman Freddie Freeman, Dominican third baseman Manny Machado, and Venezuelan right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. will be key players for their respective country’s teams.