Grading each team's 2026 WBC performance

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is complete, so it's time to break down the performances of all 20 participants. Here are our grades for every team listed alphabetically.

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Australia I Brazil I Canada I Chinese Taipei I Colombia I Cuba I Czechia I Dominican Rep. I Great Britain I Israel I Italy I Japan I Mexico I Netherlands I Nicaragua I Panama I Puerto Rico I South Korea I United States I Venezuela

Australia entered this tournament expecting to build on 2023's quarterfinal appearance, so not advancing out of pool play could absolutely be seen as a failure. Or was it? "Southern Thunder" only missed a trip to Miami by one run, and was alive until a ninth-inning run allowed in the final pool game tilted the complex tiebreaker scenario back into South Korea's favor. The Aussies were competitive in every game, shutting out Chinese Taipei and losing a one-run nail-biter to the heavily-favored Japanese. Australia's WBC run might have ended earlier than expected, but this performance showed that what happened in 2023 was hardly a fluke, and could have been repeated if not for the tiebreakers.

Despite some impressive individual performances, most notably from Angels prospect (and son of Manny) Lucas Ramirez, Brazil - making its first appearance in the main tournament since 2013 - was easily the WBC's most overmatched team. Even the game against Great Britain, the one contest that Brazil was at least expected to keep close, turned into a lopsided defeat. We'll cut them some slack because of a terrible pool placement that essentially doomed any hopes of a Cinderella run before the first pitch was thrown. This team can still hold its head high, though, and at least use what happened as a learning experience going forward. Simply winning last year's qualifier - which was a massive upset itself - to earn the right to play against some of the sport's biggest stars was a huge achievement for Brazilian baseball.

Forget the score of the quarterfinal against Team USA. Canada advanced out of the first round for the first time in WBC history, and did it despite missing the likes of Freddie Freeman, Nick Pivetta, Cade Smith, and Matt Brash, among other top names. It was the Canadians' most successful WBC ever, and their best showing at any international tournament since winning silver at the 2019 Pan-Am Games. Canada received tremendous pitching from veterans and youngsters alike, was competitive in every game, and forced a powerful U.S. team to earn that quarterfinal victory. Baseball has been experiencing a boom in Canada over the last decade, and the results were on full display over the last two weeks. With even more talent in the pipeline, this run provides a solid foundation for Canada's national program to build on.

The world's No. 2 team in the pre-tournament WBSC rankings didn't look the part. Chinese Taipei was shut out in its first two games, and though it made up for a run-rule loss to Japan by mercying Czechia the next day, the damage was already done. Not even an extra-inning win over South Korea could sway the tiebreakers back in Chinese Taipei's favor. To be fair, this team lost two key players to injuries right before the tournament started, and captain Chieh-Hsien Chen then broke his finger in the opening game. But the injury excuse only goes so far for an experienced international squad like Chinese Taipei, who squandered a golden opportunity in this WBC.

Colombia won the game it needed, beating Panama by one run to claim the head-to-head tiebreaker and stay in the main tournament. In that sense, this WBC was an easy win for the program. But there was also a path for manager José Mosquera's team to get out of the most even of the four pools, and they just couldn't take advantage. Ace Jose Quintana gave Colombia a great chance to beat Puerto Rico in the opener, only to see the bullpen and offense completely waste his gem. The next day, the team looked listless during a loss to Canada. While avoiding relegation is obvious progress for this up-and-coming baseball nation, being outscored 23-10 shows there's still work to be done.

Once upon a time, Cuba was perhaps the world's most revered - and feared - international baseball team. Today, even with the help of MLB-affiliated players and two NPB superstars, the program has become a shell of itself. Cuba failed to advance out of pool play for the first time in WBC history, and went home with a whimper despite controlling its own fate in the Pool A finale against Canada. Manager Germán Mesa's squad looked lifeless in that elimination game versus the Canadians, throwing their tournament - and a potential Olympic berth - away with shoddy fundamental baseball, multiple errors, and zero intensity. Missing out on both the WBC knockout round and the Olympics is a result that most on the baseball-mad island will find unacceptable. This really felt like the end of a golden era in Cuban baseball.

It might seem strange to see an A-grade for a team that went 0-4 and was relegated. But when analyzing Czechia, it's important to remember that this team is made up almost entirely of domestic semi-pros with day jobs who play baseball for love of the game, and they're competing against the world's best professionals. Record aside, Czechia - the 2025 European bronze medalists - showed just how far this program has come over the last three years. Unlike Brazil, this team showed flashes of competitiveness, nearly out-hitting Korea in a six-run loss before holding a lead against Australia in a game that was closer than it should have been until the ninth. Czechia's two WBC appearances have grown baseball's profile in that nation, as youth registration has spiked significantly since 2023. While not the result they wanted, the Czechs can still hold their heads high, and will be among the favorites to get back to the main draw in the qualifiers.

It can't be a flat-out A grade when this superstar-laden Dominican team failed to reach the finals. A WBC title was the goal and expectation both inside and outside the clubhouse, so points must be docked. Yet B+ is still fair because even though they fell two wins short of a title, the Dominican Republic's tournament was still quite successful. Albert Pujols' club outscored its opponents 52-12 over six games, received brilliant pitching throughout its run, and clinched a spot in the 2028 Olympics. It took another juggernaut in Team USA eking out a one-run win in a semifinal that easily could have gone the other way to stop the D.R. from running the table. While the Dominicans didn't meet their stated goal, there's also no shame in losing to a fellow powerhouse the way that they did.

The Brits weren't relegated, largely because they got to beat up on Brazil in their final game. Aside from that, Nate Eaton's leadoff homer off Tarik Skubal, and Trayce Thompson's ridiculous catch, it was a tournament to forget for Great Britain. Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s addition was supposed to spark the British offense, but the Yankees All-Star went 4-for-18 with six strikeouts. Team captain Harry Ford, a breakout star three years ago, was also kept quiet for much of the tournament. Still, avoiding relegation for a second straight WBC is something worth celebrating for a program that's trying to expand baseball's presence in England, Wales, and Scotland. There were only three British-born players on this roster. Ideally, that will change in the years to come.

Israel was never expected to advance out of Pool D, and lopsided losses to the Dominican Republic and Venezuela weren't surprising, but this team ultimately exceeded expectations by grabbing two wins. In addition to taking the one game it had to have against Nicaragua to avoid relegation, the Israelis scored a well-rounded victory over The Netherlands in its tournament finale to secure third place in the pool, making this a fine rebound performance after 2023's disastrous showing. The third-place finish might also help Israel secure a better pool placement in 2029, which could entice some of the bigger-name Jewish MLB stars to come aboard. All things considered, going 2-2 absolutely calls for a celebratory Hora on the mound.

What a run it was for Italy. The WBC's Cinderella story went further than anyone expected and captured hearts around the world while stunning giants and playing a dynamic, fearless brand of baseball. They had fun embracing Italian culture, wearing Armani suits to games and celebrating homers with espresso shots. Yes, this roster was made up largely of primarily Italian-Americans and even some Italian-Venezuelans who were eligible through family heritage. But they also left their mark in the motherland. For the last two weeks, baseball was on the front page of Italian newspapers and leading Italian sportscasts. They got a shoutout from the Prime Minister of Italy in parliament. This team clearly captured the imagination of Italians, and gave the country a chance to see how wonderful baseball is. This run will no doubt inspire young Italians to start playing the sport, and perhaps future editions of Team Italy will feature a majority of homegrown players. Ottimo lavoro, Italia.

For most teams, there's no shame in losing an elimination game to a baseball powerhouse like Venezuela. But in Japan, home to the world's top-ranked international team and defending WBC champions, anything short of lifting the trophy is considered a failure. Samurai Japan failed to reach the final four for the first time in WBC history, and it's easy to see why. Japan was ultimately done in by a thin pitching staff. The offense never got going, with a lack of overall production masked by some walkovers in pool play. Japan showed cracks in Pool C during a narrow win over Australia, and the bats were completely shut down by Venezuela's bullpen in the quarterfinal after the third inning. Sometimes, you can chalk it up to a short tournament and single-elimination format where weird things happen. This wasn't one of those times. Japan didn't execute, and it cost the nation another world title.

Mexico finished third in its pool and had a positive run differential, although most of that was thanks to a 16-0 mercy-rule win over hapless Brazil. The expectation was for Mexico to at least repeat 2023's semifinal run while also clinching an Olympic berth. Instead, Benji Gil's squad went home with nothing after losing to the U.S. and then barely showing up for a must-win Pool B finale against upstart Italy. Randy Arozarena, who led the way in 2023, went 2-for-13 this year, while catcher Alejandro Kirk - who had missed the previous WBC - finished 4-for-15. Yes, sometimes things can happen in a short tournament, but that's not really why this team flopped. The stars it was counting on just didn't do their jobs.

This was easily The Netherlands' worst WBC showing ever, and if we're being honest, they're lucky to have not been relegated. The Dutch were one very lucky bounce away from being upset by Nicaragua and going 0-4, before Ozzie Albies' walk-off homer saved their WBC lives. That ninth inning rally versus Nicaragua aside, Andruw Jones' team looked shockingly overmatched throughout, getting mercy-ruled by the Dominicans and only managing three hits in an unexpected loss to Israel. Being placed in the group of death didn't help. But the pool placement didn't cover up a lack of pitching depth or the loss of Jurickson Profar to a PED suspension on the eve of the tournament. However you slice it, this was a disappointing performance from a Dutch program that, until recently, had never been properly challenged for European baseball supremacy.

You really have to feel for Nicaragua. The Central American underdogs, led by future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker, were one out away from its first-ever WBC win, and even got the ground ball it needed to close out The Netherlands. Except that grounder hit third base, bounced over Cheslor Cuthbert's glove, and allowed the Dutch to walk it off on the next pitch and relegate Nicaragua once again. This grade is admittedly a bit higher than it should be out of sympathy, because outside of that heartbreaker, Nicaragua was thoroughly outplayed and overmatched. Mark Vientos, Nicaragua's one big-league bat, went 2-for-15 with no RBIs, and the team finished with a minus-19 run differential. If nothing else, this tournament gave the younger Nicaraguan players some more high-level reps and a great learning experience playing for Baker, which can't hurt in the long term.

Panama was a popular dark-horse pick to get out of Pool A, and instead was relegated after losing the head-to-head tiebreaker against Colombia. It's all the more disappointing because of how close they were to having an entirely different outcome. Panama was three outs away from upsetting Puerto Rico in the second game of pool play before bullpen meltdowns handed the host nation a walk-off win. Making it even worse is that they rebounded to beat Canada the next day - meaning that had Panama held on to beat Puerto Rico, they likely go 2-2, avoid relegation, and maybe even advance via tiebreakers. That's just how thin the margin for error can be. While Panama should be a clear favorite to re-qualify for the 2029 WBC, this result is still a tough setback for a program that's made tremendous strides over.

Despite missing almost all of its biggest stars because of injuries, insurance issues, and suspensions, Yadier Molina deftly guided Puerto Rico through a balanced pool and into the quarterfinals for a fourth straight WBC. Puerto Rico did what it had to do in Pool A, sparked by Darell Hernaiz's dramatic walk-off homer against Panama in front of a raucous home crowd in San Juan. The quarterfinal loss to Italy - a nation that has far less of a baseball history - might be seen by some as an unacceptable outcome, and that's not unfair. However, getting to the quarters with a depleted roster after all that pre-tournament drama was an impressive feat.

South Korea finally got over the hump and reached the knockout round for the first time since 2009. That's a big deal for a national team that's been successful in other top tournaments, but had flopped in each of the last three WBCs. It wasn't a completely smooth ride, though. Close losses to Japan and Chinese Taipei meant South Korea needed the tiebreakers to advance, and its quarterfinal berth was only secured on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly that ensured it would beat Australia by exactly five runs in the Pool C finale. Then there was the quarterfinal game itself, which saw the Koreans get humbled by the Dominican Republic in a mercy-rule shutout loss. But compared to the disappointments of 2013, 2017, and 2023, Korean fans should be fine with this result.

This was the best collection of American baseball players ever assembled, expected to run roughshod over the opposition. And Team USA did get back to the final, but once again couldn't finish the job. The pitching staff certainly did everything asked of it and then some, so this loss falls on the bats. Instead of pummelling opponents, the U.S. hit just .250 with a .796 OPS during the tournament and went a collective 3-for-41 with 17 strikeouts over its final 13 innings. Team USA scored 24 runs in its first two games against Brazil and Great Britain, then tallied just 20 over its final five games. Manager Mark DeRosa also drew intense criticism for appearing to not realize his team hadn't clinched a quarterfinal spot prior to being upset by Italy in pool play. The U.S. survived that scare, but eked out narrow victories in the quarters and semis before managing just three hits in the championship loss to Venezuela. We'll upgrade the grade to B- for reaching the final, but that's probably generous. Baseball's supposed dream team fell asleep at the wheel. This result was a failure.

Venezuela was not going to be denied. Manager Omar López navigated the quirks of this tournament perfectly to bring his country its first international baseball tournament victory in 67 years. Wilyer Abreu and WBC MVP Maikel Garcia broke out to lead a high-powered offense that feasted on the opposition. But it was the pitching - a major question mark heading into the WBC - that propelled Venezuela to a title. Venezuela's bullpen was practically unhittable, with closer Daniel Palencia tallying nine strikeouts while not allowing a run to anchor the unit. The team overcame adversity, coming from behind in both the quarterfinal against Japan and semifinal against upstart Italy before surviving a U.S. comeback in the final to win the tournament and clinch an Olympic berth. Venezuela was the best team in the WBC, and are very deserving world champions.