FOX Sports Inks Deal for 2026 World Baseball Classic Rights

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will again be televised and streamed in the U.S. by FOX Sports. Under terms of the deal announced today, FOX is set to air seven games, including three Pool B games featuring the United States team, two Quarterfinals games and the World Baseball Classic Championship Game on March 17 from Miami’s loanDepot Park. The remaining matchups will air across FS1, FS2, the FOX Sports app, FOX One, and Tubi. 

In addition, FOX Deportes will carry 28 tournament games in Spanish including all four Quarterfinals games, two Semifinals contests, and the Championship Game. Full schedule and designations will be announced at a later date. 

FOX Sports aired its first World Baseball Classic in 2023 with the Championship Game between USA and Japan averaging 5.2 million viewers in the United States. The game peaked at 6.5 million viewers when the game was decided in the bottom of the ninth with Major League Baseball superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, Angels teammates at the time, squaring off in one of the more memorable at bats in recent baseball history.

“The World Baseball Classic gives the best players around the world an opportunity to represent their countries on a global stage and embodies everything we love about the game – passion, pride, and elite talent – like nothing else” says FOX Sports Executive Vice President, Head of Programming and Scheduling Bill Wanger. “Following the tournament’s wide-spread excitement and unforgettable finish from 2023, we’re honored to once again deliver this premier event to fans across the country.”

With FOX broadcasting Major League Baseball games since 1996, the World Baseball Classic will precede the network’s 30th season of MLB coverage. The announcement was made live on-air during FOX’s American League Division Series pregame coverage with former World Baseball Classic participants Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. 

“FOX Sports has been a great partner to MLB for decades showcasing the skill of the players, storylines on and off the field, and intensity of the competition, which will all be on full display during the World Baseball Classic,” says Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business and Media.  “While it’s known as America’s favorite pastime, baseball also is a global game with talented players coming from around the world.  In again bringing the World Baseball Classic to baseball fans in the U.S., FOX Sports will help increase the event’s profile and capture the incredible result of when baseball competition meets national pride.”

“Since the World Baseball Classic’s inception in 2006, Players have experienced a special sense of pride in representing their countries on the international stage,’’ says MLB Players, Inc. President Evan Kaplan. “We are proud to partner with FOX Sports to amplify the incredible talent and commitment of our Players, whose passion to the game helps expand baseball’s popularity and enhance its stature as a truly global sport.’’

The World Baseball Classic features elite teams and players from around the globe and stands as one of the most highly anticipated international sporting events. The 2026 edition promises to deliver world-class competition, with Team Japan aiming to defend its championship title.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be the sixth iteration of the global baseball tournament and will feature 20 teams competing in four first round pools in Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Houston, Texas; and Miami, Florida, with the first game starting in Tokyo on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 in U.S. time zones, Thursday, March 5, 2026 in Japan’s time zone.  

The deal was made with World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI), which is an organization that is owned by Major League Baseball that jointly operates the tournament with the Major League Baseball Players Association. The World Baseball Classic is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) as the sport’s official National Team World Championship.