WBSC Refugee Team set to make international competition debut at WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup in Mexico

Eleven Baseball5 players from the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan have arrived in Mexico to make their international debut at the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2025, while also participating in a high-level training camp with legendary Cuban coach Reinaldo Gerardo Batista and in practice sessions with other international teams.

The group of six male and five female athletes, aged between 14 and 17, will be reduced to eight as per tournament regulations – to represent Syria for the first time. They are led by head coach Amjad Alatoom and assistant coach Reem Hadroos, a resident of the Azraq Camp who has obtained her Baseball5 coaching certification.

The tournament runs from 24 to 27 September in Tepic, Mexico, and is the second edition of the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup, with Cuba as defending champions after claiming the title in the inaugural edition two years ago in Ankara, Türkiye.

While initially planned as a learning trip to Tepic, including a four-day training camp with Batista to improve the players’ skill set and game play as well as experience the World Cup environment for the first time, the confirmation of the WBSC Refugee Team’s participation in the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2025 came after the last minute withdrawal by China, which has provided an incredible opportunity for the WBSC Refugee Team to get its first taste of a WBSC World Cup.   

It is the first time a refugee team will participate in a WBSC tournament and also the first appearance by the Syria Baseball and Softball Federation in a WBSC tournament, marking the 80th National Federation to participate in a WBSC World Cup.

The WBSC introduced Baseball5 to the Azraq Refugee Camp in 2023 and has continuedly supported the programme's activities through the WBSC Legacy Club since early 2024. The camp now has five dedicated Baseball5 fields where 150 players train each week.

This Mexico trip, which is supported by Olympic Solidarity and CONADE, builds on the team's previous international experience, when they visited Paris, France, during the 2024 Olympic Games, and played matches against the French national team. These experiences are preparing the team for their goal of competing at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, next year.

The group is composed of three pairs of siblings while four of them will be having their first international experience having not been on last year’s trip to Paris.

WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari emphasised the significance of supporting the Refugee Team's development: "Our continued support of the Refugee Team demonstrates that our sport knows no boundaries and that talent can emerge from anywhere. Baseball5's beauty lies in its accessibility – requiring only a ball and the determination to play – and this is reflected by this young team. These athletes embody the Olympic spirit of excellence, friendship and respect."

Head coach Amjad Alatoom said: "This is an amazing opportunity for our team and we are thrilled to be in Mexico. To now also have the opportunity to compete in the World Cup is a very special opportunity. Our athletes will train hard, play against the best youth teams in the world, and gain experience that simply cannot be replicated anywhere else. Every training session, every game and every interaction with international players and coaches, is a step forward for the team."

The impact extends beyond individual development, with Lamees Aldabaan, one of two sisters in the team, adding: "When Baseball5 first came to our camp, I never imagined I'd travel to Mexico thanks to the sport. It has given us more than skills, it's given us dreams we didn't know we could have. The prospect of representing refugees worldwide both here in Mexico and hopefully also in Dakar is an honour that motivates us every day."