Australia Counts Down: 500 Days to the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals in Redcliffe
Friday, 21 November, 2025, marks 500 days to go until the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals in Australia. From 5 to 11 April 2027, Redcliffe, Australia, will host eight of the world’s top teams competing for softball’s most coveted prize: the Women's Softball World Cup.
In 500 days, the Women’s Softball World Cup will return to its origins. The first edition of the event was played at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia, in February 1965, with five participating teams: Australia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and the USA.
“Reaching the 500-day milestone is an important moment for the global softball community as we look ahead, not only to the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals in Australia in 2027, but also to the LA28 Olympics softball competition the following year," said Craig Cress, the WBSC Executive Vice President Softball. "Softball fans around the world are enjoying an exciting international calendar, and with the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage and Finals leading into the Olympic Games in consecutive years, the sport’s future has never looked brighter.”
"In 500 days, Australia will welcome athletes and fans from around the world to the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2027," said Alex Dandanis, Softball Australia General Manager for the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup 2027. "We’re excited to deliver a world‑class event in Redcliffe that unites communities, inspires audiences, and showcases the spirit of softball on the international stage.”
The XVIII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup will be played under the two-stage format, with the Group Stage taking place in 2026 and the Finals in 2027. This will be the second consecutive edition to use this format, following the previous tournament hosted across Ireland, Spain, and Italy.
A year ahead of softball’s comeback to the Olympic programme at the LA28 Games, Brisbane will welcome the best of the best in the softball world to compete for the world title. The top two teams from each of the three groups, plus two wild cards, will advance to Brisbane for the Finals in 2027.
The WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2024 in Castions di Strada, Italy, proved to be a huge success, attracting an average of more than 2,000 fans per day and nearly 13,000 tickets sold throughout the tournament.
The last major women’s softball event held in Australia was the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, where Australia claimed their second of a total of four Olympic medals. The game between Australia and USA on 21 September, 2000 drew the largest crowd in Olympic softball history, with 9,209 fans at Blacktown Park. According to the Sydney 2000 Official Report, softball was “one of the most exciting and heavily supported sports at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.”
As part of the 500 days-to-go celebrations, Australia, ranked 10th in the world, will play world No.6 Chinese Taipei in a series of games in Redlands, near Brisbane from 22-26 November while world No. 2 USA will also visit Brisbane in the USA Down Under Series, from 31 December 2025 to 3 January 2026.