WBC Quarterfinal Predictions & Preview
World Baseball Classic Graphic (MLB.com)
For baseball fans, the World Baseball Classic (WBC) is our Olympics. The preliminary pool games can be compared to a real life David vs Goliath scenario, as you can have the best players in the world taking on normal working people. Recent examples from the 2026 tournament are Joseph Contreras, who is a 17 year old right handed pitcher, who took the mound for Team Brazil and got 3x AL MVP Aaron Judge to ground into a double play. Another fan favorite moment, is a pitcher by the name of Ondřej Satoria, who is a full time electrical worker in his home country of Czechia. In the 2023 tournament, he got Shohei Ohtani to strike out, and more recently, pitched 4 ⅔ scoreless innings, against Japan.
Ondrej Satoria the Famed Czech Electrician (Yahoo Sports)
The preliminary round games come to an end on March 11th and the Quarter Final Games will take place on March 13th and March 14th. Pool C & D games will be played in Miami, Florida and Pool A & B games will be played in Houston, Texas. As of writing this article, the quarterfinals have not been determined yet, but Korea, Japan and Puerto Rico have each earned their way to the knockout stages. Here is a rundown of what each quarterfinal could look like:
Pool C & D
Korea (2nd Pool C) vs (1st Pool D)
Japan (1st Pool C) vs (2nd Pool C)
On Wednesday night, the Dominican Republic will be taking on Venezuela, which will decide who wins Pool D, as both teams are currently tied at 3-0. The game will have former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara up against former world series winner Eduardo Rodríguez. Both teams are full of Major League stars, but I see former MLB superstar Albert Pujols leading Team Dominican Republic to win. This would set up:
Korea vs Dominican Republic
Japan vs Venezuela
Both of these Pool C & D match ups have a limited history at the WBC level. At the 2023 Classic, both Japan and Venezuela made it to the knockout round,with Japan winning its third WBC title. With how the preliminary round games are going, there could be some new rivalries started between these countries.
Pool A & B
2nd Pool A vs 1st Pool B
2nd Pool B vs 1st Pool A
Puerto Rico has advanced to the quarterfinals, but positioning in Pool A has not been determined yet. Tuesday evening, team Canada faces off against Puerto Rico. If Puerto Rico wins, it would put them at 4-0 and win the pool. If Canada were to win, it would put Puerto Rico at 3-1 with Cuba and Canada being tied at 2-1. I think that Puerto Rico wins Tuesday night, putting them at 4-0 and winning the pool. That sets up Canada vs Cuba for second in Pool A. I like my countrymen to bounce back from a few hard losses and beat Cuba. Canada would advance, as the 1st tiebreaker is head to head records.
Pool B also has a bit of a log jam, for the second place team. Team United States takes on Team Italy on Tuesday evening. The Americans are just too much for Italy, and the States win, finishing at 4-0. This sets up Italy vs Mexico for second place on Wednesday evening. Mexico will flex their muscle and prove to be too strong for the Italian team, and finish second in Pool B. This would put Pool A and Pool B quarterfinals at:
Canada vs USA
Mexico vs Puerto Rico
Tournament Format (MLB.com)
No matter the sport, fans love a Canada vs USA head to head match. This game won't be quite as dramatic as the 4 Nationals Final or the Olympic Gold Medal game though. With the second pool match up, Mexico and Puerto Rico have a deep rooted history in international baseball. This rivalry goes back as recently as the 2023 WBC and numerous Caribbean Series matchups. This baseball fan will be tuning in to watch some of the best baseball players going head to head and see what type of dramatics will take place in the knock out rounds.
About the Author
My name is Matthew Roberts and now that March is here, you'll find me watching my Blue Jays as often as possible and starting to get the house and yard ready for the spring and summer months. You can follow me on Instagram (mattr798), X (mattr798) and Threads (mattr798).