World Baseball Classic 2013
You have asked for it readers and now it is here! An entire page devoted to the upcoming 2013 edition of the World Baseball Classic!
After the initial WBC in 2006, the tournament returned in 2009. The decision was made to have the WBC played three years after the inaugural edition and then four years later from there. As result, after a long wait for baseball fans…the third World Baseball Classic will be back in the year 2013!
Originally, the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009 consisted of 16 Countries. From those 16 countries, 12 of the original WBC representatives received automatic byes to play in the tournament commencing March 2013. The automatic entries into the tournament are the following 12 countries:
- Australia
- China
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Puerto Rico
- United States
- Venezuela
So all the original countries will be back in the WBC…but with a twist. For the third edition of the tournament, there will now be 28 total countries that will be competing. From the original 16 WBC countries, 4 of those countries must now enter into a qualifying tournament in the fall of 2012 to gain entry to the WBC. Poor showings in the 2009 means those countries must now qualify for the WBC. Baseball then added 12 new countries for the qualifying tournament for a total of 16 teams competing in the qualifiers. From the qualifying tournament, the top 4 countries will advance to join the remaining 12 holdover teams for a complete field of 16 teams that will compete in the 2013 WBC. The 16 countries competing in the qualifying tournament are as follows:
- Brazil (new)
- Canada (holdover- needs to qualify)
- Chinese Tapai (Taiwan) (holdover- needs to qualify)
- Columbia (new)
- Czech Republic (new)
- France (new)
- Germany (new)
- Great Britain (new)
- Israel (new)
- New Zealand (new)
- Nicaragua (new)
- Panama (hold0ver- needs to qualify)
- Phillipines (new)
- South Africa (holdover- needs to qualify)
- Spain (new)
- Thailand (new)
Stay tuned for more 2013 WBC news, including the venues for the qualifying rounds and WBC tournament. Team rosters will need to be set and the competition in the qualifying tournament will be fierce to advance to the WBC. In the finals of the 2006 WBC, played on March 20, 2006, Japan beat Cuba by a score of 10-6. On March 23, 2009, Japan beat Korea 5-3 to win its 2nd straight WBC title. Will Japan three-peat in 2013? With 12 new countries on board, there will be even more competition to make it to the finals. The upcoming edition of the WBC promises to be the most exciting ever!
Aren’t the qualifying rounds to be played in Taiwan this fall?
The qualifying tournament locations not picked yet. Will keep everyone posted!
I know the venues for the 2013 WBC haven’t been announced yet what is the hearsay where the finals will be held? I’m guessing the Miami Marlins stadium has the inside track to host this. What do you think?
I can definitely see Miami getting one of the rounds in 2013. Finals may still be in California…but you never know.
TEAM USA needs to Win we own baseball
Gotta get to the WBC finals in order to win it! Hopefully USA will come out firing in 2013!
Who “owns” baseball? The USA? According to which standard? Spending the most money on players? Having the best marketing people? Funny, I always thought that excellence in baseball was determined on the diamond, not the blogosphere. Even with a disappointing finish in the most recent World Baseball Classic, Cuba has an UNPARALLELED record in international baseball competition dating back decades. If any one country can even think about saying it “owns” beisbol other than Cuba, it might be Japan based on the merits of there two WBC titles. Until the USA can put up titles and banners like Cuba and Japan, the Yanquis don’t own anything about baseball – except for tickets to the finals.
Hassan,for the last 50 plus years CUBA has mostly played against amateurs,not professional,their international achievemenst are exagerated,you cannot be the best by just beating amateurs,i was born in Cuba,so i know a little bit about their baseball history,are they good,yes,but not the best;now with reference to JAPAN,yes two WORLD titles make them the best in the world;U.S despite having the best players has yet to win its first WORLD title.
It’s late February,and still no announcement on the WBC qualifiers,back in last December when IBAF was in Texas MLB said that in January the announcement were going to be made. Any idea when they will be made?.
Any idea on how the negotiations between MLB and NBPA is going? thanks.