100 Days To Go: Five reasons to get excited about men's softball at The World Games 2025 Chengdu
The countdown to The World Games (TWG) 2025 Chengdu continues, with the men's softball event now just 100 days away. With Opening Day on 6 August, a day before the Opening Ceremony, the men's softball competition will feature five electric competition days at Xindu Better City Softball Arena.
Here are five reasons why you won’t want to miss men’s softball at TWG 2025 Chengdu, which will take place from 6 to 10 August.
1. The World Games 2025: "Boundless Sports, Countless Wonders"
Since the very first edition in 1981, TWG have become the second-most important global multi-sport event in the world, only behind the Olympic Games, positioning the world's best athletes, the host city and partners at the heart of world sport.
Chengdu 2025 represents the 12th edition of TWG, taking place from 7 to 17 August 2025 in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China. This marks the first time that mainland China will host TWG.
Chengdu is the hometown of the Giant Panda and boasts over 4,500 years of civilisation history and more than 2,300 years of history as a city, manifesting a perfect mixture of history, culture and modernity. Being the capital of Sichuan Province and a central city in southwest China, Chengdu covers an area of 14,300 square kilometres and has a permanent population of 21.4 million, which has turned it into a mega-city known to the world.
The 2025 Games will feature over 5,000 participants from more than 100 countries, competing in 34 sports, 60 disciplines, and 225 medal events. Consult detailed schedule and the sports programme here.
2. A global multi-sport event for men's softball
TWG 2025 Chengdu represents men's softball's second appearance in the global multi-sport competition. The discipline was played in 1981, during the inaugural edition of the games. However, with only teams from USA and Canada participating in Santa Clara, California 44 year's ago, TWG 2025 Chengdu will mark the first truly global multi-sport appearance for men's softball.
The discipline has been at the core of the Pan Am Games and Asian Games programmes for many years. However, men's softball has lacked a global multi-sport competition with the best of the best going head to head. This comes to an end in Chengdu, highlighting the global reach of men's softball and marking a new milestone in the history of this fast-growing sport.
The men's softball event features world No. 1 Argentina; No. 2 Australia; No. 3 Japan; No. 4 Canada; No. 5 Venezuela, No. 6 USA, No. 7 Czechia and No. 13 Singapore, guaranteeing top-notch competition in the five-day showdown.
3. Every match is a must-win
The competition format mirrors the one used at TWG Birmingham 2023 women's softball competition, featuring some similarities with the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Finals, to be played in June.
Both in the World Cup and TWG, the eight teams will open the competition in two groups of four, with the top two booking their ticket to the next phase. The opening round will be played from 6 to 8 August, with four games each day.
However, the main difference between the two competitions lies in the playoffs. While the World Cup features a Super Round, in Chengdu the top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals, to be staged on 9 August, with the winners moving to the gold medal game the day after. The champions will play five games in total across the tournament.
With a format like this - designed to make every game decisive, maximise competitiveness and excitement - there’s simply no margin for error.
4. The sequel to the World Cup comes to Chengdu
International men's softball showcases a busy summer in 2025, with the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Finals and TWG just 23 days apart. The World Cup Finals will be played in Prince Albert, Canada, from 8 to 14 July. On 6 August - just 23 days later - the rematch starts in Chengdu.
Six of eight World Cup contenders will clash again in Chengdu chasing TWG gold. New Zealand and the Dominican Republic are the only teams in Prince Albert not traveling to China, with Czechia and Singapore as the only absentees in the World Cup.
Who will carry the World Title from Prince Albert to Chengdu? Is any team in position to sweep the World Cup and TWG?
5. Best of the best in Chengdu
With the top teams in the world competing for the gold medal, men's softball fans in Chengdu will have the opportunity to watch the best players in the world.
Superstars like Huemul Mata (ARG), Jack Besgrove (AUS), Shota Onodera (JPN), Sean Cleary (CAN), Maiker Pimentel (VEN), Marco Diaz (USA), Jakub Osicka (CZE) and Ean Eu (SGP) will display their best talent at the Xindu Better City Softball Arena, which is scheduled for completion in mid-June.
Along with the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Finals in June, TWG are expected to be one of the most exciting, competitive and high-profile events in the history of the discipline.