"More magnificent moments" ahead for international baseball as WBSC Premier12 and ePremier12 2024 presented to Japan media in Tokyo
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) introduced the WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS and the HUGAN WBSC ePremier12 2024 to the Japanese media in Tokyo on Friday.
With just over two months to go to the WBSC's flagship tournament, WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari was joined by NPB Commissioner Sadayuki Sakakibara and Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata for a packed WBSC Premier12 2024 press conference in Shinagawa City in Tokyo.
"I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the Nippon Professional Baseball and Commissioner Sakakibara for their exceptional cooperation and support," President Fraccari said. "This has also been the case in Chinese Taipei and Mexico, where Premier12 games will also be hosted in November.
"The cooperation of all parties, including our commercial partners RAXUS, KONAMI, Nippon Express and KOWA as well as other partners, has been vital in bringing this prestigious tournament back after an enforced five-year break in the calendar. For the tournament we will use once again WBSC540 provided by SSK as official competition ball.
After the success of the first two editions of the WBSC Premier12, the World Baseball Classic last year and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as well as baseball's inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, President Fraccari said international baseball is at an all-time high.
"The first two editions of the Premier12 were a resounding success and we are thrilled to once again be able to showcase the world's best baseball talent on the international stage.
"International baseball has never been stronger! Our sport continues to capture the world’s imagination. We are also excited to incorporate eSport into this tournament, with the ePremier12 taking part alongside the Premier12. This innovative addition will further engage our global audience and provide a new dimension to the Premier12 experience – which you will hear more about later.
"We are all looking forward to sharing more magnificent moments with the Japanese fans and the world’s best baseball players in November for what is definitely going to be an unforgettable Premier12 tournament here in Japan."
Commissioner Sakakibara also said the WBSC Premier12 "plays a very important role in promoting and developing baseball internationally".
"We are very pleased to be celebrating this third edition and the NPB will continue to cooperate with the WBSC for the success and further development of the competition.
"With back-to-back championships on the line, the participating countries will be coming at this year's tournament with even greater determination than before to defeat the defending champions, Samurai Japan.
"A tough battle is expected, but I hope that Samurai Japan, under the leadership of manager Ibata, will show us what the team is capable of, and leave on the table to win this shining trophy."
“Although there are still about two months until the event, a sense of tension is already building," Samurai Japan manager Ibata said. "We will do our best to win back-to-back championships.
"For Japan’s team to stay at the top of the world for years to come, it’s essential for young players to keep emerging. If these players can gain valuable experience and deliver strong results, I believe Japan can maintain its strength for a long time.
"We need to carefully assess players who are delivering results, even if they lack international experience, to determine if they can perform at a high level. My hope is that we can build a fresh, new Team Japan.”
The 12 top baseball programmes, as determined by the WBSC/Konami Men's Baseball World Ranking at the end of 2023, will participate in the WBSC flagship event and compete split into two groups.
World No. 2 Mexico will host Group A in Guadalajara and Tepic, where they will face No. 3 USA, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 7 Netherlands, No. 10 Panama and No. 12 Puerto Rico.
Group A will open with three games on Saturday, 9 November, and on 10 and 14 November. Two games are scheduled for 11, 12, and 13 November.
World No. 1 Japan and No. 5 Chinese Taipei will host Group B in three different venues: the Vantelin Dome Nagoya, Tianmu Stadium and the Taipei Dome in Taipei. They will face No. 4 Korea, No. 8 Cuba, No. 9 Dominican Republic and No. 11 Australia.
Japan will host Australia for the inaugural game at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya on Wednesday, 13 November, at 19:00 local time, 18:00 in Taiwan. Two games are scheduled at 18:30 (Taiwan time): Dominican Republic vs. Cuba (Tianmu Stadium) and Korea vs. Chinese Taipei (Taipei Dome).
Two games per day are scheduled for 14, 15 and 17 November, and three games will be played on 16 and 18 November.
The full opening round schedule of the Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS consists of 30 games - 15 games per group. After round-robin play, the top two finishers of each group will compete in the Super Round. The first and second-place teams of the Super Round will compete in the Premier12 Championship game, while the third and fourth-place finishers will play for the bronze medal.
The Tokyo Dome in Japan will host the Super Round (21-23 November) and the medal games on 24 November.
If qualified, Samurai Japan will play the 19:00 (local time game).
Advance ticket sale for WBSC Premier12 2024 presented by RAXUS will open on September 2.
Meanwhile, the HUGAN WBSC ePremier12 2024 is the biggest eSport competition for WBSC eBASEBALL™: POWER PROS featuring the best eBaseball™ players worldwide.
Following months of global qualifying rounds spanning across Japan, Chinese Taipei, USA , Mexico and Europe, the top 12 players will square off in the Opening Round in North Carolina (USA) and New Taipei City (TPE) in October and November respectively.
Much like the Premier12, only the best four players will advance to Tokyo for the Super Round and Finals.
The ePremier12 final will take place in the world-famous Tokyo Dome crowning the 2024 eBaseball World Champion.
