Unprecedented 78 MLB All-Stars highlight World Baseball Classic rosters

The World Baseball Classic Inc. revealed the 30-man rosters for the 20 participating teams in the upcoming VI World Baseball Classic. Each roster includes at least 14 pitchers and two catchers

Major League Baseball (MLB) has more than half of the participating athletes under contract, including 306 affiliated players and 190 on the 40-man roster. The reigning MVPs (USA's Aaron Judge and Japan's Shohei Ohtani) and Cy Young Award winners (USA's Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal) are the headline announcements.

In total, there are six MLB MVPs on the rosters: Ohtani; Ronald Acuña Jr. (Venezuela); Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw (USA). The 20 rosters also include three World Series MVPs: Jeremy Peña (Dominican Republic), Salvador Perez (Venezuela), and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan)

The 20 tournament rosters feature an all-time high of 78 MLB All-Stars, including 36 players who were 2025 All-Stars.

USA have the most career MLB All-Stars on their roster, with 22, and 65 selections total. Next up are the Dominican Republic with 16 MLB All-Stars (39 total selections), led by Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto; Venezuela with 12 MLB All-Stars (32 selections); and Puerto Rico and Mexico follow with six MLB All-Stars apiece (15 selections for Puerto Rico and nine for Mexico).

Japan's roster includes six Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) MVPs: Outfielder Kensuke Kondo, infielder Munetaka Murakami, designated hitter Ohtani, infielder Teruaki Sato, pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano and pitcher Yamamoto. Samurai Japan also count on three recipients of the NPB's Sawamura Award for its top pitcher, with Hiromi Itoh joining Sugano and Yamamoto.

Korea has two Korea Baseball Organisation (KBO) league's MVPs: outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and infielder Do-Yeong Kim.

There are seven MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects slated to play in the World Baseball Classic, including No. 30, Australia's Travis Bazzana. The former MLD Draft No. 1 overall pick represented his country at the WBSC U-18 and U-23 World Cups and the WBSC Premier12.

The other six top prospects are pitchers Nolan McNeal (No. 6, USA), outfielder Owen Cassie (No. 42, Canada), infielder Michael Arroyo (No. 67, Colombia), catcher Harry Ford (No. 71, Great Britain), Elmer Rodriguez (No. 82, Puerto Rico) and catcher Leonardo Bernal (No. 98, Panama).

Former WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup star Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of four outfielders on the USA roster.

Brothers and WBSC alumni Bo and Josh Taylor will reunite on the Canadian National Team.

Cuba's Alfredo Despaigne, a Baseball World Cup and WBSC Premier12 alum, is the all-time World Baseball Classic home run leader with seven. He will compete in his fifth edition.

Another international baseball veteran, the Netherlands' 38-year-old Shairon Martis, will also compete in his fifth World Baseball Classic. Martis pitched the only no-hitter in the history of the tournament as a teenager in 2006 against Panama.

Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela) and Oliver Perez (Mexico) are the only other players with five participations in the World Baseball Classic.

Colombia (29.9 years) and USA (29.7) have the oldest average age, while Chinese Taipei (26.7 and Brazil (26.9) have the youngest.

The 20 rosters

The 2026 World Baseball Classic

The 20 participating National Teams are split into four groups, with Groups A, B, and D competing from March 6 to 11, and Group C from March 5 to 10.

GROUP A - SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) World No. 20 Canada, No. 13 Colombia, No. 10 Cuba, No. 8 Panama, No. 7 Puerto Rico
GROUP B - HOUSTON (Texas, USA) No. 22 Brazil, No. 19 Great Britain, No. 14 Italy, No. 6 Mexico, No. 3 USA
GROUP C - TOKYO (Japan) No. 11 Australia, No. 2 Chinese Taipei, No. 15 Czechia, No. 1 Japan, No. 4 Korea
GROUP D - MIAMI (Florida, USA) No. 12 Dominican Republic, No. 21 Israel, No. 9 Netherlands, No. 16 Nicaragua, No. 5 Venezuela

Houston and Miami will host the quarterfinals on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14. Dailkin Park in Houston will host teams advancing from groups A and B, while the first and second-place finishers of groups C and D will play at Miami's loanDepot park.

Miami will host the semifinals on Sunday, March 15, and Monday, March 16, and the World Championship Game on Tuesday, March 17.

The full schedule

Japan are the defending Baseball World Champions.