Italy and Spain women's softball teams set for January training tours to Mexico
World No. 9 Italy and No. 14 Spain will cross the Atlantic in January for training tours to Mexico, where they will face teams from the Mexican Softball League (LMS). Italy will visit Mexico City and León, while Spain will travel to Guadalajara and Monterrey ahead of the 2026 season of the professional league, which starts on 22 January.
Italy will begin its 2026 campaign in Mexico by starting from 8 to 16 January in León, where they will play four exhibition games against the Bravas. They will then move to Mexico City, where they are scheduled to play two games against Diablos Rojos from 17 to 19 January.
The Azzurre will use this tour to prepare for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup, which is set to begin in 2026 with the Group Stage. Italy have been placed in Group A, to be played from 16 to 20 June 2026 in Prague, Czechia. They will face No. 4 Canada, No. 6 Chinese Taipei, No. 10 Australia, No. 11 Czechia and No. 13 Cuba.
Spain, meanwhile, will visit Charros de Guadalajara and Sultanas de Monterrey, playing approximately 15 games over a 10-day period. During the trip, they will also face the Mexican Women’s National Softball Team, ranked No. 8 in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Ranking.
The exact schedule for the friendlies — including dates, venues, and times — is being finalised and will be announced in the coming days.
In September, Italy claimed their second consecutive European Championship title, defeating No. 5 Netherlands, 4–3, in the final. Spain fell to No. 12 Great Britain, 4–2, in the bronze-medal game and finished in fourth place. By placing fourth at the continental event, Spain did not qualify for the World Cup.