100 Days to go: Why the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup is so special

The WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup 2025, presented by RAXUS, will open in 100 days, on Friday, July 25, in Tainan, a city with a population of 1.85 million on the southwest coast of the island of Taiwan.

The tournament is a special event. Only those who have experienced a U-12 World Championship Final at the Asia Pacific International Baseball Stadium and Training Centres (ASPAC) can fully describe the atmosphere. The 2023 Final attracted 8,500 fans.

The ASPAC opened in July 2019, just days before the V WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

"This is the finest dedicated youth sports facility in the world - not just for baseball and softball, but for any sport, and this further positions baseball and softball as one of the leading youth sports in the world. This sustainable, state-of-the-art facility will help turn our vision into reality," commented WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari when he joined Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che at the inauguration ceremony.

The ASPAC comprises two baseball stadiums specially calibrated for young players, two infield practice sites and public batting cages. Future plans include a senior professional facility, an on-site hotel, players’ village, and a Taiwan Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame.

The U-12 Baseball World Cup is also special because the WBSC is the only international sports federation with a World Cup at the under-12 level.

Taiwan has hosted all the editions so far. The U-12 Baseball World Cup opened in 2011 in Taipei City. After the capital hosted the 2013 edition, the event moved to Tainan. Since the 2019 editions, the ASPAC has hosted the U-12 Baseball World Cup and will host it at least through the ninth edition in 2027.

The United States (2013, 2015, 2017, 2021, and 2023) and Chinese Taipei (2011 and 2019) are the only winners. Chinese Taipei also collected four silver and one bronze medal. Venezuela, Cuba, and Japan earned the other silver medals. Venezuela (2), Cuba, Japan, Mexico, and Nicaragua earned bronze medals.

Young athletes showcase an unprecedented level of sportsmanship during the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

The WBSC and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) announced in January the U-12 Baseball World Cup 2025 groups.

Group A will include World No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 4 Mexico, No. 10 Cuba, No. 12 Australia and No. 17 Germany.

No. 5 USA, No. 6 Korea, No. 8 Panama, No. 11 Dominican Republic, No. 15 Czechia and No. 31 South Africa will compete in Group B.