Overview
- The expanded 20-team tournament uses four groups of five in round-robin play, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
- Japan hosts its group at Tokyo Dome and enters as defending champion with Shohei Ohtani limited to designated hitter and Yoshinobu Yamamoto fronting the staff, as a roster featuring nine MLB-linked players is confirmed.
- Mexico draws Group B in Houston’s Daikin Park, schedules tune-ups March 3 vs. the Diamondbacks and March 4 vs. the Dodgers, and replaces Taj Bradley and Ramón Urías with Manny Barreda and Nacho Álvarez Jr., while also missing Isaac Paredes and José Urquidy.
- Puerto Rico stages Group A at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, with the home side promoted around Edwin “Sugar” Díaz and Nolan Arenado and first-round dates set for March 6–10.
- Group D plays at Miami’s loanDepot Park, where Venezuela and the Dominican Republic meet on March 11 at 8 p.m. ET in a marquee matchup drawing strong ticket demand.