U-23 Baseball World Cup South America Qualifier set to open in Lima

The U-23 Pan American Championship for the South American region is set to open on Monday, 20 October, in Lima, Peru, with No. 5 Venezuela, No. 22 Brazil, No. 34 Argentina, and No. 44 Peru competing for one coveted spot in the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2026, which will take place in Nicaragua.

The tournament will follow a double round-robin format, with the top-ranked team in the final standings earning qualification for Nicaragua 2026. All 12 games will be played at Villa María del Triunfo Stadium, a venue that previously hosted the Lima 2019 Pan American Games and will also host the Lima 2027 edition. Full schedule here.

The action begins on 20 October, with Brazil taking on Venezuela at 10 a.m. (local time), followed by Argentina facing Peru at 3 p.m.

World No. 7 Puerto Rico, No. 8 Panama, and No. 9 Cuba have already qualified for the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup as the top three finishers from the first Americas Qualifier. They join hosts and No. 16 Nicaragua, as well as No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei, and No. 4 Korea from Asia, and No. 15 Czechia and No. 17 Great Britain from Europe. Africa and Oceania will each be represented by one nation, completing the 12-team field.

The WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2026 will be held in Nicaragua from 6 to 15 November 2026.