Before the 2026 MLB season gets underway, the World Baseball Classic has returned to determine who the best national team in the world is. There will be 20 teams vying for that title, and pool play begins this week with the final set for March 17 at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida – the home of the Miami Marlins. The tournament will feature baseball powerhouses, including Team USA, which will have the likes of Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and many others leading the way to what the U.S. hopes is more victories in 2026, especially after how the Milan Cortina Games finished. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMBut others, like Japan, the reigning WBC champions, and the Dominican Republic, want bragging rights for the next three years until the tournament returns. Only two teams from each of the four pools will advance to the quarterfinals, and there are some amazing matchups already in store for this year’s tournament. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top five pool play matchups that are can’t-miss games for all baseball lovers, starting in Tokyo. Time to set those alarms, because Shohei Ohtani and the reigning WBC winners in Japan are hosting Korea, and these two rivals have delivered some epic games in this tournament in the past. In 2009, these two battled in an extra-innings championship, and they’ve been playing against each other since 1954. However, while Japan has cemented itself as the team to beat in this tournament, Korea hasn’t been able to capture that glory from earlier years, failing to make it out of the group stage since the WBC in 2009. WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC PREVIEW: TEAM BREAKDOWNS, TOP PLAYERS, PREDICTIONSKorea has some solid players on its roster, including a veteran in big-game scenarios as Hyun-Jin Ryu, the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher, will take the bump at 38 years old. It also features big leaguers like Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee, Shay Whitcomb and Jahmai Jones. But Japan is loaded once more, as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Yusei Kikuchi and Tomoyuki Sugano are recognizable names on the pitching staff, while Munetaka Murakami, Seiya Suzuki, and Masataka Yoshida join Ohtani in the lineup. You may not view this as a rivalry, but these teams certainly have a feud considering many players are from Curaçao – a constituent island country within the kingdom. Think Kenley Jensen, Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts (Aruba), Jurickson Profar and Ceddanne Rafaela. Even Didi Gregorius, who was actually born in Amsterdam, will be on the field to face a stacked Dominican team over the weekend. Take one look at the D.R.’s roster, and you’ll find All-Star after All-Star, from Manny Machado to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., to Juan Soto, to Fernando Tatis Jr., and the list goes on and on. It’s arguably the best lineup in the tournament considering the star power out there, and there’s no doubt every one of them wishes to get out of the grou
5 must-watch World Baseball Classic pool play matchups, including Team USA vs Mexico
