20 countries confirmed to participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). While Brazil secured the last qualifying ticket, China was eliminated early with three losses in three games. This marks the first time in Chinese baseball history that it has failed to advance to the WBC main tournament.

On the 7th (Korean time), the Brazilian national baseball team defeated Germany 6-4 in a single-elimination playoff match in Group B held at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Arizona, USA.

Dante Bichette Jr., the son of a major league slugger from the 1990s, recorded 3 hits and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats to lead Brazil's victory. Brazil has advanced to the WBC main tournament for the first time in 13 years since 2013, while Germany, which had hoped to reach the main tournament for the first time, will have to wait for another chance.

As a result, Brazil, along with Colombia, which finished first in the group stage with three wins in Group B, has secured a ticket to the main tournament. In the A group qualifying held in Taipei, Taiwan, at the end of last month, Taiwan advanced to the main tournament after defeating Nicaragua, the first-place team in the group stage, in the playoffs.

With the completion of the A and B group qualifying schedules, the 20 countries that will participate in next March's WBC main tournament have been finalized. The WBC has expanded from 16 to 20 countries, and will divide the teams into four groups of five, with the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals.

Excluding the four teams that advanced through the qualifiers, the current lineup for Group A includes Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, and Panama; Group B includes the United States, Mexico, Italy, and the United Kingdom; Group C includes Japan, Australia, South Korea, and the Czech Republic; and Group D includes Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, and Israel.

Meanwhile, China will not be seen in next year's WBC main tournament. Having qualified for all five previous tournaments from the inaugural event in 2006 to 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2023, Chinese baseball had made considerable progress but failed to pass the qualifiers this time.

In this B group qualifier, China lost its first match against Germany 2-12, suffering a defeat by the mercy rule in the 7th inning, and fell 1-8 to Colombia in its second match. The last game against Brazil also ended in a 2-12 loss, also by mercy rule in the 7th inning.

Including two mercy rule losses, China struggled in all three games, scoring 5 runs while allowing 32. The defense collapsed with 7 errors, and the pitchers' control was poor, issuing 29 walks (24 walks and 5 hit batsmen).

China stunned everyone by achieving a surprising 1-0 victory over Japan in the group stage at the Hangzhou Asian Games held in September 2023. Comprised of amateur players, China had managed to defeat a much stronger Japan for the first time, emerging as a dark horse in Asian baseball. However, the recent disastrous performance in the WBC qualifiers has curbed their growth.

[OSEN Reporter's Lee Sang-hak]