WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari’s End of Year Message to the global Baseball/Softball family

Dear members, dear athletes, dear fans,

As we come towards the end of 2025, I reflect with great pride on another remarkable year for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and the international Baseball/Softball community. This has been a year of continued growth and historic achievements that demonstrate the strength of our global Baseball/Softball family.

All the participants in our sport, whether playing for the first time in their community or representing their nation or region at the highest level, deserve our thanks. Your passion and dedication inspire millions around the world.

We delivered an outstanding WBSC events calendar in 2025, with 10 major tournaments showcasing the global reach of our sport. From the Baseball Champions League Americas through to the eBaseball Series World Finals, our competitions gave athletes of all ages the opportunity to compete internationally and represent their nations and regions with pride.

The calendar included important youth development pathways with the U-12 and U-18 Baseball World Cups presented by RAXUS, alongside the U-15 and U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Finals. The Men's Softball World Cup Finals and Youth Baseball5 World Cup further demonstrated the quality and diversity of our sport while the World Games in Chengdu, China was another key highlight, with both men's and women's softball delivering thrilling action on the multi-sport games stage.

The popularity of our disciplines in multi-sport games continues to grow with Baseball, Softball and Baseball5 all featuring in the Southeast Asian Games, Baseball5 added to the Mediterranean Games programme as an additional sport and Baseball and Softball included in the Bolivarian Games and Pacific Mini Games.

I’m excited to see Baseball5 continue its impressive global expansion, reaching new audiences worldwide and creating new pathways for young people to engage with our sport, especially following the signing of a MoU with the International School Sport Federation, which will use Baseball5 to promote Baseball/Softball education in schools worldwide, including the potential creation of ISF World School Championships and assess the integration of WBSC disciplines into future editions of the ISF Gymnasiade, starting from the 2026 ISF Gymnasiade to be held in Mexico, that will feature Baseball5 as part of the sport programme.

But the most powerful moment of 2025 was witnessing the WBSC Refugee Team participate in their first-ever World Cup at the second edition of the Youth Baseball5 World Cup in Mexico. These young athletes represented not just their camp but refugees worldwide, demonstrating the true power of sport to unite people and provide hope to those who need it most. This was made possible by the WBSC Legacy Club, Olympic Solidarity and our partners who share our belief in sport as a vehicle for positive social change.

This year we also gathered together for the WBSC Congress, where we elected a new Executive Board, which is more powerful and unified as ever, following the elimination of the Baseball and Softball Divisions. I look forward to working together with all our Executive Board members, especially those who, with our new structure, represent their Continental Associations directly, as we continue to build the future of our sport. I welcome our new WBSC Executive Board members and thank those departing for their dedication and service. These moments together remind us of the power of our shared mission and the importance of working collectively towards our goals.

We are now counting down to Los Angeles 2028, where baseball and softball will return to the Olympic stage, and working hard to ensure our sport is included in Brisbane 2032. I’m very confident that Baseball/Softball will be a wonderful addition to the Brisbane 2032 sports programme and looking forward to positive news when the decision is made next year.

This year has marked an important transition in Olympic leadership. I want to express my deep gratitude to IOC Honorary President for Life Thomas Bach for his incredible support throughout his presidency. His commitment to our sport, particularly his support for Baseball5, has been instrumental in our growth. I look forward to working with IOC President Kirsty Coventry and building on the strong relationships that will continue to benefit our sport.

As we celebrate our achievements, we must also pause to remember those we have lost this year. Jim Baba, Pedro Medina and Osvaldo Gil, to name a few, made significant contributions to our sport throughout their lives, and their legacy lives on in the continued growth and development of baseball and softball worldwide. We honour their memory by continuing to build on the foundations they helped create and by educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders in our community.

None of what we achieve would be possible without our strategic commercial and marketing partners. Thank you to each of our Global Sponsors — Konami Digital Entertainment, RAXUS, KOWA, NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, DAISO, and MUFG Bank— as well as to our Official Suppliers — SSK, Mizuno, Synergy Sports, Corpay, and Trackman— and to all our local and regional partners worldwide for your continued commitment to Baseball/Softball.

Looking ahead to 2026, the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal will be a historic moment as Baseball5 makes its Olympic debut. This is a milestone we have worked towards for many years.

We will also see the World Baseball Classic and Premier12 qualifiers for the first time, creating new opportunities for nations to compete for spots in our flagship tournament. With competitions across all our disciplines, 2026 promises to be another landmark year as we continue our journey towards Los Angeles 2028.

On behalf of the entire WBSC family, I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous and joyous New Year.

Riccardo Fraccari
President, World Baseball Softball Confederation