The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) today revealed the groups, schedule and tournament format of the V WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, which will take place from August 26 to September 4 in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Based on results from the qualifiers and allocation of wild cards, the world championship event in Hermosillo will feature the world's best teams and players in the respective youth category:
- Africa (1) No. 26 South Africa
- Americas (7) No. 4 Mexico, No. 5 USA, No. 6 Venezuela, No. 9 Cuba, No. 11 Colombia, No. 13 Panama, No. 16 Puerto Rico,
- Asia (2) No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei
- Europe (2) No. 13 Czech Republic, No. 22 France
- Oceania (1) No. 38 Guam
The V U-15 Baseball World Cup this year will feature 13 teams. In addition to the host and the 11 teams qualified/confirmed via the Continental Associations, the WBSC, together with the LOC, invited the defending champions USA after the cancellation of the 2020 edition, in which the USA Baseball 15U National Team had already qualified.
The 13 teams will be split into three groups to open the tournament:
- Group A: Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Cuba and Czech Republic
- Group B: Panama, Japan, Colombia and France
- Group C: USA, South Africa, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Guam
Opening Day is set for August 26, with the Opening Ceremony scheduled at 6.30 pm local time. Two games will officially open the U-15 Baseball World Cup at 10:30 a.m. local time, when South Africa squares off against USA and Puerto Rico takes on Venezuela.
The top two finishers of each group in the Opening Round will advance to the Super Round from August 31 to September 2.
First- and second-place finishers from the Super Round will compete for the U-15 Baseball World Title, while third- and fourth-place national teams will play for bronze. The Finals are scheduled on September 4.
