Fourteen National Teams to participate in WBSC Americas U-18 Baseball World Cup Qualifier
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<p>Fourteen National Teams will participate in the WBSC Americas U-18 Baseball World Cup Qualifier, which is scheduled for August 2-11 in Panama.</p>
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<p>The participants include World No. 2 Mexico, No. 3 USA, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 8 Cuba, No. 9 Dominican Republic, No. 10 Panama, No. 12 Puerto Rico, No. 16 Canada, No. 20 Nicaragua, No. 23 Brazil, No. 26 Curaçao, No. 34 Costa Rica, No. 50 El Salvador, No. 53 Guatemala.</p>
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<p>Following the conclusion of the U-18 National Team Training Camp in Cary, North Carolina, USA Baseball announced their 20-player roster for the qualifier.</p>
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<p>"We believe that we have put together a roster that is built to win and represent the United States well in international competition," commented manager <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/mlb-veteran-rick-eckstein-to-manage-usa-u-18-baseball-national-team" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Rick Eckstein (opens in a new tab)">Rick Eckstein</a>. "We will spend the next week and a half preparing to the best of our abilities to win a gold medal in Panama."</p>
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<p>Eddie Gonzalez will manager Puerto Rico. His staff will include Dennis Pérez, Juan <em>Puchy</em> Velázquez and Dicky González. He announced his 20-player roster, commenting, "We are happy with the selection process. Players are motivated to compete internationally. We chose players who cover various positions and guarantee flexibility." <br></p>
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<p>Panama, as the host of the Americas Qualifier, automatically has a ticket to the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 together with the top-three finishers of the qualification tournament.</p>
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<p>The first National Teams to qualify for the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 were the <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">winners of the <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/italy-edge-germany-to-win-u-18-baseball-european-championship-as-both-qualify-for-wbsc-u-18-baseball-world-cup-2025" target="_blank">European Championship 2024,</a></span> 14 Italy and No. 17 Germany. </p>
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