For half of the World Baseball Classic quarterfinalists, their next game could decide their 2028 Olympic fate.
The two highest-placing teams from North and South America at the WBC will qualify for baseball’s Olympic return in Los Angeles — not counting the U.S., which gets an automatic spot in the six-team Olympic tournament as host nation.
That adds to the significance of the quarterfinal slate, where one Olympic hopeful plays in each of the four games: Dominican Republic versus South Korea (Friday in Miami), Canada versus U.S. (Friday in Houston), Puerto Rico versus Italy (Saturday in Houston) and Venezuela versus Japan (Saturday in Miami).
Cuba, the most successful nation in Olympic baseball history with three golds and five total medals, was eliminated from 2028 Olympic qualification by not making it out of its WBC group.
For Olympic qualifying standings, the first tiebreaker is winning percentage over the entire WBC. The Dominican Republic has the edge there after going 4-0 in group play. Canada, Puerto Rico and Venezuela each went 3-1.
The second tiebreaker is head-to-head result (if applicable), followed by runs allowed per recorded defensive out over the entire WBC.
Baseball was part of the Olympic medal program from 1992 through 2008, then returned for the Tokyo Games.
It was not on the 2024 Olympic program and, so far, is not on the Olympic program beyond its return at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Games will be played at Dodger Stadium, possibly with MLB players in the Olympics for the first time.
The rest of the 2028 Olympic baseball field will be determined at the November 2027 Premier12 tournament (one spot for Asia, one for Europe/Oceania) and a final qualifier no later than March 2028 (that will not include teams from the Americas).
