WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup groups, schedule unveiled as Argentina vs New Zealand open action in Sincelejo

Superpowers Argentina and New Zealand will clash on 25 April at 10 a.m. local time to start the second edition of the WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup 2026 in Sincelejo, Colombia as the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced the groups and the 50-game schedule, which will take place at the 20 de Enero Stadium and Eduardo Porras Stadium.

The two groups for the event, which will be played from 25 April to 3 May, are as follows:

• Group A: No. 1 Japan, No. 3 Argentina, No. 7 New Zealand, No. 9 Czechia, No. 13 Colombia (host), and No. 14 South Africa.
• Group B: No. 2 Venezuela, No. 4 Canada, No. 6 Australia, No. 8 Mexico, No. 10 Singapore, and No. 19 Denmark.

Argentina vs New Zealand in Game One (10:30 a.m.) sets things up for a thrilling opening day, which features four matchups between top-10 teams.

Each day will include four games at 20 de Enero Stadium and two at Eduardo Porras Stadium.

Opening Day schedule (25 April):

• 10:00 a.m. – Argentina vs New Zealand – 20 de Enero Stadium
• 11:00 a.m. – Singapore vs Venezuela – Eduardo Porras Stadium
• 1:00 p.m. – Czechia vs Japan – 20 de Enero Stadium
• 2:00 p.m. – Canada vs Denmark – Eduardo Porras Stadium
• 4:00 p.m. – Mexico vs Australia – 20 de Enero Stadium
• 7:00 p.m. – Opening Ceremony – 20 de Enero Stadium
• 9:00 p.m. – Colombia vs South Africa – 20 de Enero Stadium

Of the 50 games, 36 will be played at 20 de Enero Stadium and 14 at Eduardo Porras Stadium.

The group stage will run from 25 to 29 April, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the Super Round and carrying over their group-stage results. Teams finishing fourth to sixth in each group will compete in the Placement Round.

The Super Round and Placement Round are scheduled from 30 April to 2 May, with the medal games taking place on 3 May. The top two teams in the Super Round will face off in the World Championship Final, while the third- and fourth-place teams will contest the Bronze Medal Game.

This marks the second edition of the WBSC U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup. The inaugural tournament was held in Paraná, Argentina, in 2023, when Australia defeated Japan in the World Championship Final.