Aussie U-23 Men's National Softball Team to mark Australia's 130th WBSC World Cup in Colombia

Australia will reach the milestone of 130 WBSC World Cup appearances in April, when the U-23 Men's National Softball Team begins its campaign in the second edition of the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup in Sincelejo, Colombia. Australia rank fourth in all-time WBSC World Cup appearances, behind USA, Japan, and Chinese Taipei.

The team will open its U-23 Men's Softball World Cup title defence on 25 April, 2026 in Sincelejo on the tournament's opening day. Australia won the inaugural edition of this event in Paraná, Argentina, in 2023, defeating Japan by a narrow score of 1-0 in the final. This victory marked Australia's ninth world championship in any WBSC event and is the most recent of the country's 37 medals.

The leader in WBSC World Cup participations is USA, which has played in 153 World Cups to date. Japan and Chinese Taipei follow, both with 135 appearances. Australia is fourth with 129, and Mexico rounds out the top five with 115. These are the only five countries with over 100 WBSC World Cup appearances. Cuba (96) and Venezuela (95) are close to reaching the 100-appearance milestone.

Australia is recognised as one of softball's superpowers in both men's and women's competitions, having won all nine of its world titles in softball World Cups. The green and gold squad has won a world title in four of the seven softball World Cup categories ever contested, including the Women's Softball World Cup (one title); the Men's Softball World Cup (two); the U-23 Men's Softball World Cup (one); and the U-18 Men's Softball World Cup (five).

Australia has also been a permanent fixture in the Olympic Games, competing in eight of the 11 baseball and softball Olympic competitions. The Aussies are one of the most decorated teams in Olympic softball history, with five medals in five appearances, including a silver medal (Athens 2004) and three bronzes (Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, and Beijing 2008).

They rank third in the historic medal table, behind USA (three golds and two silvers) and Japan (two golds, one silver, and one bronze). In baseball, the team had three consecutive appearances from 1996 to 2004, winning a silver medal in Athens. They are one of only seven nations to have won a medal in Olympic baseball history.

The Aussies have also competed in two of the three WBSC Premier12 tournaments (2019 and 2024), finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.

Australia has already qualified for three WBSC World Cups in 2026: the Women's Softball World Cup, the U-23 Baseball World Cup, and the U-23 Men's Softball World Cup and can still qualify for the U-15 Baseball World Cup, the Women's Baseball World Cup, and the Baseball5 World Cup.