(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
    Dates and sites confirmed for Softball World Cup Group Stages 2026
Nederlands
 PULLY (Switzerland) -
On Thursday (August 7), the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) confirmed the dates and sites for the three Group-stages of the World Cup Women's Softball that are scheduled for next year.
It will mark the second time that the World Cup will be played in two consecutive years with a two-stage format.
In the first, the three Qualiffying Group-stages are played, in the second year, the Final Round with the eight best countries.
Two years ago, the Group-stages were played in Ireland, Italy and Spain.
The Final Round was played last year in Italy.
Earlier, it already had been announced that next years Group-stages will be played in Czechia, Peru and the USA.
A total of 18 countries wil participate, divided into three groups of six.
The two best teams of each group advance to the Finals, which will be played in 2027.
Also advancing are the two best teams that finish in third place.
Group A will be played in Czechia, where the games will be played in capital Prague from June 16 through 20.
Group B will be played in Lima, the capital of Peru from July 21 through 26 at the Estadio Softbol Villa María del Triunfo.
Group C is scheduled for September 17 through 21 at the OKC Softball Park (Devon Park, OGE Energy Field) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (USA), which also will be the site for the softball-tournament during the 2028 Olympic Games, which will be organized in Los Angeles.
So far, eleven of the eighteen countries have qualified for participation in next years World Cup Group Stage.
Czechia, Peru and the USA of course have qualified as host nation of one of the three Group Stages.
Eight other countries also already have secured their spot.
Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela will represent the American continent, while China, Chinese Taipei and Japan will represent Asia.
These eleven countries will be joined by three teams from Europe, two from Africa and two from Oceania.
The three European countries will come from the European Championship, which will serve as Qualifying Tournament and will be held September 7-13 in Czech capital Prague.
China, Chinese Taipei and Japan secured their spot last month (July 14-20) in the Women Softball Asia Cup, which took place in Xi'an (China).
Japan and China were to meet in the Final, while Chinese Taipei was to play against the Philippines for the Bronze Medal.
However, both games were cancelled due to rain.
Therefore, the final ranking of the Opening Round was used to determine the standings.
And so, unbeaten Japan finished in first place, followed by China, Chinese Taipei and the Philippines.
The top-4 was followed by South Korea, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Thailand, India and Malaysia.
The top-8 also qualified for the 20th edition of the Asian Games to be held next year in Aichi-Nagoya (Japan).
Canada, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico and Venezuela also qualiied last month by finishing in that order in the 11th Women's Softball Pan American Championship (Campeonato Panamericano de Softbol Femenino), which took place June 27-July 5 in Montería (Colombia).
Canada shutout Puerto Rico 6-0 in an one-hitter in the Final.
Canada scored all six runs in the third inning, highlighted by back-to-back homeruns by Kianna Jones and Caitlyn Wong.
Cuba won bronze by winning 3-0 against Mexico.
Finishing behind the top-5 were Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Guatemala, the United States Virgin Islands, Chile and Aruba.
Amongst the players on the Aruban roster were RHP Esmee Toet, RHP Yala Zwakman and IF Kelly Hoenen, who al play in the Dutch big league.
Toet and Zwakman for Onze Gezellen, Hoenen for Neptunus.
Last year, Australia, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico and the USA qualified for the Final Round, which then was held in Castions di Strada in Italy.
There, Japan won the Gold Medal by winning 6-1 against the USA in the Final.
Canada won 11-7 in an 11-inning thriller against the Netherlands in the Bronze Medal-game.
Canada won thanks to a walk-off, grand slam homerun by Callum Pilgrim.
After the field of participants of 18 teams is completed, the composition and game-schedules of the three Group Stages in Czechia, Peru and the USA will be announced.
The host and dates of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2027 also will be announced on a later date.
(August 8)
|
