Zambia to host Baseball5 African Championship in November

WBSC Africa announced that the Zambia Baseball and Softball Association (ZABSA) won hosting rights for the African Baseball5 Championship, a qualifier for the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup 2026.

The African Baseball5 Championship 2025 is scheduled from November 5 to 8 at the state-of-the-art OYDC Zambia – Sports Development Centre in Lusaka.

Eight National Teams will participate in the Baseball5 African Championship.

World No. 11 Kenya and No. 57 Uganda qualified from the Eastern Zone; No. 5 Tunisia and No. 38 Cape Verde advanced from the Western Zone, while No. 22 Zambia and No. 12 South Africa qualified from the Southern Zone.

WBSC Africa later decided to guarantee one more spot in the African Championship to the Western Zone, considering that six teams participated in the tournament, including the Northern Region's Tunisia. No. 58 Burkina Faso, the third-place finisher, was awarded the extra berth.

The WBSC Africa also awarded a Wild Card to No. 59 Senegal, the host nation of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics.

"Zambia’s successful bid highlights the nation’s commitment to developing baseball and softball, particularly the fast-paced and youth-friendly Baseball5 format," said ZBSA President Kenny Matishi to the local press.

In October 2024, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced the new Baseball5 World Cup Continental Quota after the expansion from 12 to 16 participants. Africa will qualify two teams for the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup 2026, to be hosted by Italy.