Czechia & Peru to host WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage in 2026

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has awarded the first hosting rights for the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage 2026. Two groups will be hosted in Prague (Czechia) and Lima (Peru) respectively, with the third one to be announced at a later stage.

"We're very proud that Czechia and Peru are once again hosts of a WBSC event, on this occasion the premier international women's softball tournament - the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. "Prague and Lima will bring their wealth of experience as hosts of world-class international events to ensure the best atmosphere for athletes and fans as the women's softball journey to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 officially begins."

Prague - Czechia's capital city with more than 1.3 million inhabitants - will host its second WBSC Softball World Cup nine years after the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup 2019 was held in Prague and Havlickuv Brod. 

Peru's capital and largest city Lima, with a population of 10 million, will also receive its second WBSC Softball World Cup after hosting the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup in 2021. The Villa Maria del Triunfo Complex, the main diamond of the tournament, will also stage the Lima 2027 Pan American Games, the Americas' biggest multi-sport event.

Under the Two-Stage Format, the Group Stage and the Finals of the World Cup are played in consecutive years. A total of 18 teams will participate in the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup, allocated across three different groups for the Group Stage. Each city will host a six-team group, with the top two teams in the final standings earning a ticket to the Finals 2027. 

Each six-team group will play a single round robin, and the top four teams in the standings will advance to the play-offs. The play-offs will open with an elimination game between the third and fourth place teams, followed by a one versus two matchup, with the winner earning the first available ticket to the Finals. The winner of the first game (3 vs 4) and the loser of the second game (1 vs 2) will meet in the Repechage Game, in a winner-takes-all contest for the second spot in next year’s Finals.

Exact dates of each group, as well as the host of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Finals 2027, will be announced at a later date.