Chengdu welcomes the best of Women’s Softball ahead of The World Games tournament starting Wednesday

After an incredible week of the Men’s Softball competition, the spotlight now switches to the Women’s Softball event at The World Games, starting on Wednesday at Xindu Better City Softball Arena. Eight of the world’s top 10 teams, representing four continents, have arrived in Chengdu, China aiming to claim the gold medal on Sunday.

A year after the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals in Italy, and three years away from the LA28 Olympics, teams are ramping up their preparations for the next Olympic Games. This competition will play a key part in their LA28 campaign ahead of the Olympic qualification process, which is still to be confirmed, and the next WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup set to take place in 2026/2027.

In Chengdu, the teams are split into two groups of four for the Opening Round:

Group A: No. 2 USA, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 6 Netherlands, No. 10 China

Group B: No. 1 Japan, No. 3 Puerto Rico, No. 4 Canada, No. 8 Australia

Let’s take a look at each group.

Group A

With USA a perennial favourite in any competition, Group A looks like a battle between Chinese Taipei, the Netherlands and China for the second spot in the semifinals.

USA are the defending gold medallists at The World Games, having beaten Japan 3-2 in the Birmingham 2022 final. However, that remains their only senior world title at present, after falling to Japan in both the Tokyo 2020 Olympic final and the World Cup final in 2024. Now, with Patty Gasso at the helm and after losing the No. 1 spot in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Ranking, their mission is to reclaim their dominant position ahead of hosting the Olympic Games in 2028.

Chinese Taipei won bronze at the last edition of The World Games, defeating Australia 6-0 in the third-place game for their first medal in the event since a silver at London 1985. In 2023, however, they failed to reach the World Cup Finals, finishing fourth in their group behind USA, Australia and Great Britain. Their goal in Chengdu is to reach the semifinals and fight for a third medal in this multi-sport event.

The Netherlands also claimed a medal at London 1985, where they finished third. After narrowly missing the podium at the World Cup last year, finishing fourth, they arrive in Chengdu aiming to at least match their historic result of 40 years ago. Last year at the World Cup Finals, they suffered a heartbreaking 11-7 loss to Canada in an 11-inning bronze medal game.

For the hosts China, missing the medal round would be a disappointment. In what is their first appearance at The World Games, the team that previously won silver at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, is looking to re-establish themselves among the world’s elite and return to the Olympics after missing Tokyo 2020. They finished fifth at last year’s World Cup Finals.

Group B

With the top-ranked team in the world - world champions and Olympic gold medallists Japan - in the group, it would be a surprise if they didn’t advance to the semifinals as the top seed. However, competition will be fierce with powerhouses Puerto Rico, Canada, and Australia also in the mix.

Japan have proven themselves the best team in the world. Since 2021, they have won the Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal and the Women’s Softball World Cup. A victory in Chengdu would give them a clean sweep of all major world titles, further cementing their position at the top of the WBSC Women's Softball World Ranking.

Puerto Rico have been a consistent contender in recent years, reflected in their No. 3 ranking. However, they are still chasing their first medal on the world stage, having finished fifth and sixth in the 2018 and 2024 World Cups respectively.

Canada have won bronze at the last three World Cups (2016, 2018, and 2024) and capped that run with a bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics - their first Olympic medal. They took silver at the inaugural edition of The World Games in 1981, losing to USA in the gold medal game. However, they placed sixth at Birmingham 2022 with a young squad.

One of the sport’s traditional superpowers, Australia are still searching for their first medal at The World Games. Holders of four Olympic medals (one silver, three bronze), they aim to return to the podium in Chengdu as they continue their campaign to LA28, following a seventh-place finish at last year’s World Cup.