06/06/2026 2 Minute Read

WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group Prague preview: Action starts in 10 days

The XVIII Women's Softball World Cup opens in ten days. It's the second edition played with the new WBSC two-stage format. We take a look at the historical record and the final stage of preparation for the teams competing in Group Prague.

The WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage 2026 will begin on 16 June in Prague, Czechia, the first of three host cities staging round-robin competition under the WBSC's innovative two-stage tournament format. Lima, Peru and Oklahoma City, USA will host the remaining groups later this year.

The top two teams from each group, along with two Wild Cards, will advance to the Final Stage, scheduled for April 2027 at Kayo Stadium in Redcliffe, Australia.

World No. 10 Czechia will welcome Group Prague to the Joudrs Softball Stadium from 16 to 20 June. The hosts will face World No. 4 Canada, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 9 Italy, No. 11 Australia and No. 14 Cuba in a five-day competition that will launch the road to the Women's Softball World Cup Finals and the qualification process for softball at the LA28 Olympic Games, with one ticket on offer at the World Cup Finals.

Czechia

WSWC Appearances: 7
Highest Finish: 9th place (2012)
2024 Finish: didn't participate
World Ranking: 10

Head coach Mike Renney stated that he worked on "a very broad and high-quality pool of players" to select the Czech roster.
Renney served under manager Tomas Kusy when Czechia finished fifth at the 2025 European Championship on home soil. The experienced Canadian coach is a central figure in the Czech Softball Association's Road to LA28 project.

Canada

WSWC Appearances: 17
Highest Finish: 2nd place (1978)
2024 Finish: 3rd place
World Ranking: 4

Canada won the Pan American Championship, the WBSC Americas Women's Softball World Cup Qualifier, and won a bronze medal in the 2024 Finals. Head coach and former Olympian Kaleigh Rafter started an "identification camp" on June 1 in Oshawa, Ontario. The North Americans look like the clear favourites in Group Prague.

Chinese Taipei

WSWC Appearances: 17
Highest Finish: 2nd place (1982)
2024 Finish: 10th place
World Ranking: 5

After a disappointing campaign in the 2023-24 edition, Chinese Taipei is apparently rebuilding under head coach and former Olympian Hsing-Lin Han.
They qualified as the third-place finishers of the 2025 Women's Softball Asia Cup, a WBSC Asia Women's Softball World Cup qualifier. Han held a training camp in the United States with 27 players before organising a selection camp in southern Taiwan prior to the World Cup.

Italy

WSWC Appearances: 14
Highest Finish: 5th place (1990)
2024 Finish: 8th place
World Ranking: 9

Italy is the defending European Champion. Second-year manager Craig Montvidas is an international softball veteran. He coached Italy's arch-rivals, the Netherlands, from 2009 to 2014. Montividas announced a 16-player roster with the top players of the 2023-24 edition returning. He will also count on a pair of young additions with experience in USA College Softball, such as right-handed pitcher Julianna Verry, who graduated from Syracuse University in 2025, and slugger Bella Cimino, who finished her junior year at Florida Atlantic University.

Australia

WSWC Appearances: 18
Highest Finish: World Champion (1965)
2024 Finish: 7th place
World Ranking: 11

Star pitcher Kaia Parnaby is among the players named for the World Cup Group Prague roster alongside Ellen Roberts, Taylah Tsitsikronis and Jade Wall. Head coach Kerrie Porter will use the Group Stage as part of the selection process for the 2027 Finals.
"The goal between this and other opportunities later in the year is to give ourselves the best chance to observe everyone in the squad fairly and make our decision on the final World Cup team with as much information as possible."

Cuba

WSWC Appearances: 6
Highest Finish: 9th place (1990, 2010, 2014)
2024 Finish: 10th place
World Ranking: 14

Cuba shut out Mexico to finish third in the Pan American Championship. After barely missing the 2024 Finals, Cuba aims to improve in the 2026 Group Stage and earn a trip to the 2027 Finals. Cuba will play in Prague without their ace, Yilian Tornes, as the left-handed pitcher is recovering from knee surgery and head coach Jorge Lamas had to scratch her from his 16-player roster.