2021 World Baseball Classic – Qualification

The Qualifying Round of the 2021 World Baseball Classic will be held at a future in 2020. Teams which participated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic automatically qualified for the 2021 tournament. The qualifying round was to consist of two tournaments to be participated by six teams each. The qualifiers was planned to be hosted in Tucson, Arizona in the United States. The winners and runners-up of each of the two tournaments were to qualify for the 2021 World Baseball Classic.[1]

2021 World Baseball Classic – Qualification
Tournament details
Host country United States
Dates TBA
Teams12
Tournament statistics
Games played18
← 2017

The first tournament was originally scheduled to be held from March 13 to 18, 2020 and the second from March 20 to 25, 2020[1] before the qualifiers' postponement was announced on March 12, 2020 by the Major League Baseball due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2][3]

Players
See also: 2021 World Baseball Classic – Qualification rosters

Venue

A single venue, the Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Arizona will be used in the qualifying round:[4]

Qualifier 1 & 2
Tucson, United States
Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 11,500

Pools composition
Qualifier 1 Qualifier 2
 South Africa  Great Britain
 France  New Zealand
 Germany  Philippines
 Nicaragua  Czech Republic
 Brazil  Panama
 Pakistan  Spain

The format is double-elimination. Each pool contains six teams, two of which are given a bye to the second round. The teams with a bye are Great Britain, Nicaragua, Panama, and South Africa. These are the four teams that placed 2nd in their qualifying group in 2017.

Four of the teams have previously participated in the main WBC tournament: Panama and South Africa in 2006 and 2009 (which were by invitation), and Brazil and Spain in 2013. All four have since participated in all qualifying tournaments.

All 12 teams have previously participated in WBC qualifying tournaments. Two have previously won their qualifying group and qualified for the main tournament (Brazil, Spain), six have previously finished as high as 2nd in their qualifying group (Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, South Africa), three have previously finished as high as 3rd in their qualifying group (Czech Republic, France, Philippines), and one has previously finished last in its qualifying group (Pakistan).

Qualifying round

Qualifier 1
  Opening Round     Semifinals     Qualifier
                           
        –  Nicaragua  
  –  Pakistan     W1    
  –  Brazil         W3
      W4
        –  South Africa    
  –  Germany     W2  
  –  France  
  Repechage 1     Repechage 2     Qualifier
                           
  L2  
  L3         L8
        W5     W7
        W6  
  L1    
  L4  
Date Local Time Road Team Score Home Team Inn. Venue Game Time Attendance Boxscore
    Pakistan  –  Brazil   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Germany  –  France   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 1 –  Nicaragua   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 2 –  South Africa   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Loser Game 2 – Loser Game 3   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Loser Game 1 – Loser Game 4   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 5* – Winner Game 6*   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 3* – Winner Game 4*   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 7 – Loser Game 8   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   

*Home team designation determined by coin toss.

Qualifier 2
  Opening Round     Semifinals     Qualifier
                           
        –  Panama  
  –  Philippines     W1    
  –  Czech Republic         W3
      W4
        –  Great Britain    
  –  Spain     W2  
  –  New Zealand  
  Repechage 1     Repechage 2     Qualifier
                           
  L2  
  L3         L8
        W5     W7
        W6  
  L1    
  L4  
Date Local Time Road Team Score Home Team Inn. Venue Game Time Attendance Boxscore
    Philippines  –  Czech Republic   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Spain  –  New Zealand   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 1 –  Panama   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 2 –  Great Britain   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Loser Game 2 – Loser Game 3   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Loser Game 1 – Loser Game 4   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 5* – Winner Game 6*   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 3* – Winner Game 4*   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   
    Winner Game 7 – Loser Game 8   Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium
   

*Home team designation determined by coin toss.

References
  1. "Qualifiers set for expanded 2021 World Baseball Classic". Agence France-Presse. January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  2. Harrigan, Thomas (March 12, 2020). "World Baseball Classic qualifier games postponed". MLB.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  3. "Major League Baseball to delay 2020 Opening Day by at least two weeks". MLB.com Press Release. March 12, 2020. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  4. "Kino Sports Complex will host World Baseball Classic qualifier". Kold News 13. January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
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