When does the World Baseball Classic start? Dates, TV schedule & updated WBC bracket

Kevin Skiver

When does the World Baseball Classic start? Dates, TV schedule & updated WBC bracket image

Baseball fans are going to get a bit of an extra treat during spring training this year.

It's coming in the form of the World Baseball Classic, a two-week affair that is entering its fifth iteration in 2023. The United States will try to defend its championship, won in 2017, while two-time winners Japan and the 2013 champion the Dominican Republic will try to reclaim the crown.

The biggest roster highlights come from the USA, Japan, and the Dominican Republic. It's a 20-team field this year, up from the 16 in years past. Pool play will consist of four groups of five.

The World Baseball Classic begins on March 7 in the USA (March 8 locally), and the championship will be played March 21. It's a fast and furious pace all the way throughout, with very few breaks for any teams playing.

MORE: Watch World Baseball Classic games live on fuboTV (free trial)

Here's what to know about the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

When does the 2023 World Baseball Classic start?

The World Baseball Classic will start on March 7 at 11 p.m. ET, with Cuba and the Netherlands playing in Chinese Taipei.

From there, it will be a two-week tournament, with pool play wrapping up on March 15 and the knockout rounds starting on that same day.

Quarterfinals will start March 15 and conclude March 18, semifinals will be March 19 and March 20, and the championship at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, will be played March 21. This year marks the first World Baseball Classic to not wrap on the USA's West Coast.

World Baseball Classic 2023 bracket

Because the World Baseball Classic starts with pools, there isn't a set bracket in a traditional sense.

Once the World Baseball Classic enters the quarterfinal stage, the paths will be linear. Each pool will send two teams -- the top two -- to the quarterfinal round.

MORE: World Baseball Classic 2023: MLB team-by-team roster breakdown

World Baseball Classic 2023 TV schedule

Because games are being played in the United States, Chinese Taipei, and Japan, there will be games being played at all hours.

Here's a look at the full schedule with dates, times, and channels.

Note: All times are United States ET

Pool A (Chinese Taipei)

Date Time Matchup Channel
March 7 11 p.m. Cuba vs. Netherlands FS1
March 8 6 a.m. Panama vs. Chinese Taipei FS2
March 8 11 p.m.  Panama vs. Netherlands FS2
March 9 6 a.m. Italy vs. Cuba Tubi
March 9 11:30 p.m. Cuba vs. Panama FS1
March 10 6 a.m. Italy vs. Chinese Taipei Tubi
March 10 11 p.m. Panama vs. Italy FS1
March 11 6 a.m. Netherlands vs. Chinese Taipei FS2
March 11 11 p.m. Chinese Taipei vs. Cuba FS2
March 12 7 a.m. Netherlands vs. Italy FS2

Pool B (Tokyo)

Date Time Matchup Channel
March 8 10 p.m. Australia vs. South Korea FS1
March 9 5 a.m. China vs. Japan FS2
March 9 10 p.m. Czech Republic vs. China Tubi
March 10 5 a.m. Korea vs. Japan FS2
March 10 10 p.m. China vs. Australia FS2
March 11 5 a.m. Czech Republic vs. Japan FS1
March 11 10 p.m. Czech Republic vs. Korea FS1
March 12 6 a.m. Japan vs. Australia FS1
March 12 11 p.m. Australia vs. Czech Republic FS2
March 13 6 a.m. Korea vs. China FS2

Pool C (Phoenix)

Date Time Matchup Channel
March 11 2:30 p.m. Colombia vs. Mexico Fox
March 11 10 p.m. Great Britain vs. USA Fox
March 12 3 p.m. Great Britain vs. Canada FS1
March 12 10 p.m. Mexico vs. USA FS1
March 13 3 p.m. Colombia vs. Great Britain FS2
March 13 10 p.m. Canada vs. USA FS1
March 14 3 p.m. Canada vs. Colombia FS2
March 14 10 p.m. Great Britain vs. Mexico FS1
March 15 3 p.m. Mexico vs. Canada FS2
March 15 10 p.m. USA vs. Colombia FS1

Pool D (Miami)

Date Time Matchup Channel
March 11 12 p.m. Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico FS2
March 11 7 p.m. Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela FS1
March 12 12 p.m. Nicaragua vs. Israel FS2
March 12 7 p.m. Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico FS1
March 13 12 p.m. Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua FS2
March 13 7 p.m. Israel vs. Puerto Rico FS1
March 14 12 p.m. Nicaragua vs. Venezuela FS2
March 14 7 p.m. Israel vs. Dominican Republic FS2
March 15 12 p.m. Venezuela vs. Israel FS2
March 15 7 p.m. Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic FS2

MORE: 2023 World Baseball Classic: 10 pitcher-hitter matchups we can't wait to see

Quarterfinals

Date Time Site Matchup Channel
March 15 6 a.m. Tokyo  Pool B runner-up vs. Pool A winner FS2
March 16 6 a.m. Tokyo  Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B winner FS2
March 17 7 p.m. Miami Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner FS1
March 18 7 p.m. Miami Pool D runner-up vs. Pool C winner Fox

Semifinals

Date Time Venue Matchup Channel
March 19 7 p.m. Miami Quarterfinal 1 winner vs. Quarterfinal 3 winner FS1
March 20 7 p.m. Miami Quarterfinal 2 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner FS1

Championship

Date Time Venue Matchup Channel
March 21 7 p.m. Miami Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner FS1

Kevin Skiver

Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver has been a content producer at Sporting News since 2021. He previously worked at CBS Sports as a trending topics writer, and now writes various pieces on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and college sports. He enjoys hiking and eating, not necessarily in that order.