A look at the 12 programmes behind the WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup teams
The WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup 2025 will open in Caronno Pertusella and Legnano, Italy, on Friday, June 27.
The youngest WBSC World Cup is a champion in diversity. The 12 competitors represent four of the five Olympic continents and an impressive range of development plans.
Below, we aim to offer insights about the programmes behind the 12 participating National Teams.
Group A
Japan
- World No. 2 Japan is the clear favourite in Group A.
- Japan failed to reach the World Championship Final in the inaugural edition.
- Head coach Yu Yamamoto, who started at third base in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medal game, selected her team during a three-day camp in December 2024.
- Japan dominated the U-15 Asia Cup in March.
- High school girls' softball is very popular in Japan, with 22,880 registered players and two main events: the All Japan Junior High School Girls' National Tournament and the Inter-prefectural Junior High School Girls' National Tournament.
- Women's Softball features also on the programme of the multi-sport Nippon Junior High School Tournament.
Puerto Rico
- World No. 3 Puerto Rico represents a very active women's softball programme. They finished third at the WBSC Americas Qualifier.
- In the inaugural U-15 Women's Softball World Cup, they lost the World Championship Final to USA.
- Manager Carlos Leon led Puerto Rico to a bronze medal in the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2020 played in 2021.
- World No. 9 Mexico finished fourth in the inaugural edition.
- Head coach Karol Judith Campos Luna, also known as Lorak, began the selection process in 2023.
- Mexico finished second behind USA at the WBSC Americas Qualifier.
Italy
- The hosts and world No. 7 Italy finished eighth in the inaugural edition.
- The games with Puerto Rico (June 29) and Mexico (June 30) will define their opportunity to advance to the Super Round.
- Italy has a U-15 Girls' Softball National Championship featuring 40 participating teams.
- Head Coach Maristella Perizzolo led Italy to the U-18 Palomino Pony League tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, in preparation for the event.
Mexico
- World No. 9 Mexico finished fourth in the inaugural edition.
- Head coach Karol Judith Campos Luna, also known as Lorak, began the selection process in 2023.
- Mexico finished second behind USA at the WBSC Americas Qualifier.
Spain
- World No. 13 Spain finished third behind Czechia and Italy at the 2024 European Championship.
- Head coach Lily Otermin selected the team during the Regional Selections Championship, which Madrid won, and the National Club Championship, which Viladecans Barcelona won.
- It will be Spain's first appearance in the tournament.
American Samoa
- World No. 64 American Samoa is an absolute beginner at the international level.
Group B
USA
- Defending champions and world No. 1 USA are the clear favourites.
- Head coach Kyla Holas selected the team through the USA Softball High Performance Program (HPP) to represent USA on the international stage.
- The athletes progressed through the HPP, starting at the local level.
- The Junior Women’s National Team Selection Committee (JWNTSC) made the final cut after the 2024 HPP National Selection Event.
Chinese Taipei
- World No. 4 Chinese Taipei lost the bronze-medal game at the inaugural WBSC U-15 Women's Softball World Cup and the final at the U-15 Women's Softball Asia Cup on home soil in March.
- Manager Ning-En Chang will aim to reach the Super Round.
Canada
- World No. 6 Canada didn't participate in the inaugural edition.
- There are 8,500 U-15 registered girls playing softball in Canada.
- The 2025 National Championship is scheduled to take place in Winkler, Manitoba, from August 13 to 17.
- Softball Canada hosted a series of identification camps to evaluate talent for the U-15 Women's National Team.
- The final World Cup roster is based on the team that finished fourth at the 2025 WBSC Americas Qualifier.
- Still, it includes athletes who stood out at the identification camps and Canadian Championships.
- Head coach Joey Lye, who helped Canada to a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, was the first base coach at the Qualifier in March.
Czechia
- The defending European Champions, world No. 8 Czechia, selected the U-15 National Team among the 80 players who participated in a development programme for talented athletes.
- The players' base includes 352 girls born in 2010 and 2011.
- Head coach Jana Chylová played for the National Team and is now a coach for Eagles Prague, her former club.
- Her first coaching experience at the World level was the U-12 Softball World Cup 2019 and 2022.
- She led Czechia to the U-15 European title in 2024.
Australia
- World No. 10 Australia didn't participate in the inaugural edition.
- Softball Australia appointed Amanda Reggie Fairley, the head coach of the U-16 programme, to lead their first U-15 National Team.
- The selection process began during the U-14 Girls Regionals and the U-16 Girls Championships in January.
Singapore
- World No. 39 Singapore selected the team during the National School Games, an initiative under the Ministry of Education with three different categories: A Division (17-19 years old), B Division (15-16 years old) and C Division (13-14 years old). A total of 19 schools participated in the B and C Divisions girls' tournaments.
- The team is based on the roster that placed third at the U-15 Asia Cup in March.
- Head coach Yumei Keong worked on an expanded roster of 22 for three months before selecting the World Cup team.