WBSC Baseball5 World Cup Americas qualifier set to begin in Barquisimeto, Venezuela
The first-ever Baseball5 Pan American Championship is set to begin at the Bolivarian Dome in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, from Thursday 27 June to Sunday 30. World No. 3 Cuba, No. 8 Mexico, No. 15 Venezuela and Puerto Rico will play for the three available tickets to the II WBSC Baseball5 World Cup, scheduled from 7 to 12 October in Hong Kong, China.
The tournament will open with a double round robin, with four games a day from Thursday to Saturday. The top three teams in the Opening Round standings will earn a ticket to the World Cup, and will advance to Sunday's playoffs for the continental title. The first-seeded team will qualify directly for the final, while the second and third place finishers will play the semifinal.
The tournament represents the Americas' first Baseball5 event in any category. The three teams from this continent will join world No. 1 Chinese Taipei, No. 2 Tunisia; No. 4 France; No. 5 Japan; No. 6 South Africa; No. 9 China, No. 10 Lithuania; and No. 17 Hong Kong, China in the II Baseball5 World Cup.
Cuba are the defending world champions after staying undefeated to claim the first edition of the global event in Mexico City in 2022. They beat Japan in the final 9-1, 6-2 to claim the title.