Media registration for WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup to open on Monday, July 21

Media can apply for accreditation at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 presented by RAXUS from Monday, July 21 to Sunday, August 17.

The Baseball Federation of Japan (BFJ) and NPB Enterprise will co-host the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup from September 5 to 14 in Naha City, with the support of the High School Baseball Federation. The Okinawa Cellular Stadium, a 15,000-seat venue in Naha, will serve as the main field, while the Nishizaki Stadium in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, has been confirmed as the secondary venue.

All members of the media, local, national, and international outlets, who plan to cover the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 presented by RAXUS, as well as the media personnel (press officers, photographers and videographers) of the participating teams, must apply for accreditation through the official WBSC Media Accreditation online platform at https://my.wbsc.org.

The accreditation procedure begins by clicking on MEDIA ACCREDITATION. The online request form needs to be completed accurately, including a headshot.

Once the request is submitted, media members will receive an automated email confirmation that their application has been received. Please, do not apply multiple times.

After registering online, media members intending to cover the event remotely should contact the WBSC Media Department by emailing media@wbsc.org.

Another automated message will indicate a "change of status" in the accreditation request.

Media members can check their request status after the registration deadline, August 17, by accessing my.wbsc.org and clicking SEARCH FOR YOUR ACCREDITATION on the top right of the page. They will then need to enter their name, last name and email address.

The WBSC Media Department and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) will schedule a pre-tournament press conference. Details will follow at a later stage.

Guidelines for Non Rights Holding (NRH) Media

• Only rights holders of applicable games may transmit game footage (audio and/or video) of WBSC events.
• NRH media credentials grant access to official training sessions, games, and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
• Specific categories will be granted credentials (i.e., Press, Photographer, Radio and TV, Team Media), and stadium access will be provided accordingly.
• Photographers, NRH TV crews, and Team Media will be required to wear WBSC-issued media vests.

The Event

The U-18 Baseball World Cup has the traditional WBSC World Cup format. The 12 participants split into two groups, with the top three finishers of each group advancing to the Super Round. The first and second-place teams of the Super Round compete for the title in the World Championship Final, while the third and fourth-place finishers play for bronze in the third-place game.

World No. 1 Japan will face No. 6 Korea, No. 9 Puerto Rico, No. 10 Cuba, No. 14 Italy and No. 30 South Africa in Group A.

Group B includes No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 5 USA, No. 8 Panama, No. 12 Australia, No. 17 Germany and No. 20 China.

The WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup is the oldest Youth Baseball World Cup. Newark (USA) hosted the first edition in 1981.

Cuba (11) has the most wins, followed by USA (10), Korea (5), Chinese Taipei (3), Canada and Japan (1).

After losing four finals, Japan claimed the title for the first time in 2023, when they beat Chinese Taipei in the World Championship Final to win the XXXI WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup.