Puerto Rico to host World Baseball Classic Group A in San Juan
World No. 7 Puerto Rico will host Group A of the 2026 World Baseball Classic from Friday, March 6, to Wednesday, March 11 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan where they will welcome No. 8 Panama, No. 10 Cuba, No. 13 Colombia and No. 20 Canada.
Group A is one of four World Baseball Classic pools, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the quarterfinals. Read the Group C preview here.
Puerto Rico
Quarterfinalists in 2023, Puerto Rico will showcase plenty of Major League Baseball (MLB) talent in their pitching staff. Seth Lugo is a solid starter with the Kansas City Royals. Edwin Diaz earned 28 saves for the New York Mets. Fernando Cruz has been one of the New York Yankees prime relievers. Jorge Lopez has appeared in over 300 MLB games, starting 58.
Superstar catcher Martin Maldonado, a former Gold Glove and World Series winner, will represent Puerto Rico despite announcing his retirement after 15 MLB seasons.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado, who has 353 career home runs, is another player to watch.
Some of the biggest stars will sit in Puerto Rico's dugout, including manager Yadier Molina and hitting coaches Juan Gonzalez and Edgar Martinez.
Colombia
Colombia won the 2025 Tucson Qualifier undefeated. Former MLB slugger Harold Ramirez will return to provide power in the middle of the lineup. Infielder Gio Urshela will also provide plenty of MLB experience with 851 games under his belt.
Veteran right-hander Julio Teheran is a former All-Star who started 248 MLB games, but his last campaign in the Mexican Baseball League was not successful.
Manager Josè Mosquera led Colombia to a WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup bronze medal in 2021. The most relevant players on that roster, such as pitcher Elkin Alkala, outfielders Brayan Buelvas, Jeus Marriaga and Gustavo Campero, are on Colombia's squad.
Cuba
Left-hander Livan Moinelo, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) Pacific League reigning MVP and a WBSC Premier12 alum, is the ace of Cuba's pitching staff while right-hander Raidel Martinez had a 46-save season for NPB's Yomiuri Giants.
Erisbel Arruebarruena and Yoan Moncada are back from the WBSC Premier12 roster. World Baseball Classic home run leader Alfredo Despaigne is back on the National Team roster, together with former MLB superstar Alexei Ramirez. They are both in their 40s.
Manager German Mesa headlines a coaching staff of former international superstars, including pitching coach Pedro Lazo and hitting coach Omar Linares.
Panama
Logan Allen, a Cleveland Guardians left-hander, is Panama's ace of the pitching staff. Right-handers Jaime Barria and Javy Guerra also have MLB experience. Paolo Espino, also a right-hander, will compete in his third World Baseball Classic at 39.
Shortstop José Caballero led the Big Leagues with 49 stolen bases in 2025 while catcher Ivan Herrera is one of the top prospects in the St. Louis Cardinals organisation.
Veterans Johan Camargo and Ruben Tejeda bring a lot of MLB experience to the roster.
Canada
Canada has lost some ground in the WBSC Men's Baseball World Ranking lately, but manager Ernie Whitt assembled a roster that can legitimately aim to reach the quarterfinals.
Former WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup star Josh Naylor had a 30-home run season with the Seattle Mariners. His brother Bo is the Cleveland Guardians' starting catcher and one of the top backstops in the tournament. Outfielder Tyler O'Neill, competing in his third World Baseball Classic, is a two-time Gold Glover.
The pitching staff also looks solid with starters as right-handers Jameson Taillon (Chicago Cubs), Michal Soroka (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Cal Quantrill (Texas Rangers). Veteran left-hander James Paxton came out of retirement to join Canada for the World Baseball Classic.