The Taipei Dome is to host opening and second-round games for the 2027 WBSC Premier12 in November, organizers announced yesterday as they unveiled a new 16-team format for the tournament.
The opening round’s Group A games are to be played from Nov. 8 to 12, followed by the second round from Nov. 13 to 15, organizers told a media event in Taipei announcing Taiwan's hosting rights.
The four-team Super Round would be held in Japan, they said.
Photo: CNA
The announcement provided further details after the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) on Friday last week said that Taiwan had secured hosting rights for part of the tournament.
Team Taiwan secured their place in the Premier12 by finishing second in the WBSC men's baseball world rankings at the end of last year and are to play in Group A at home.
The tournament is expanding from 12 to 16 teams, with four groups of four competing in round-robin opening-round play at four locations, WBSC executive director Michael Schmidt said.
The top two teams from each opening-round group are to advance, with the qualifiers from Groups A and B forming one second-round group and those from Groups C and D forming the other.
Each of the teams would face only the two opponents they did not play in the opening round, with the top two teams from each second-round group advancing to the Super Round.
The other three teams in Group A and the hosts of Groups B, C and D are to be announced later.
The field would comprise the top 12 teams from last year’s year-end rankings and four teams advancing from two qualifiers, Schmidt said.
The 12 teams to automatically qualify are Japan, Taiwan, the US, South Korea, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Netherlands, Cuba, Australia and the Dominican Republic.
Spain, Colombia, Italy and Germany are to contest the qualifier in Barcelona from Oct. 9 to 11, while China, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and Nicaragua are to play in Zhongshan, China, from Nov. 26 to 28. The top two teams from each qualifier are to advance to the Premier12.
CTBA President Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒) said that securing hosting rights would not only showcase Taiwan to the world, but also improve the national team's chances of winning.
"With the fans behind us, our chances of winning the championship are very good," Koo said.
He also recalled how Taiwan triumphed at the 2024 Premier12, defeating Japan 4-0 in the final at the Tokyo Dome to claim their first title at a major senior-level international baseball tournament.
The 2027 Premier12 is the fourth edition of the tournament. Taiwan has hosted games in every edition since the first tournament in 2015.
On Friday, the CTBA also announced that Taiwan had secured hosting rights for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Baseball Final Qualifier, which is scheduled for March 2028 and is to feature six teams competing for the final Olympic berth.
Organizers have not announced a specific competition format, date or venue for the qualifier.
The US, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela secured Olympic berths through this year's World Baseball Classic. The Premier12 is to award one berth each to the highest-finishing eligible teams from Asia and Europe/Oceania.
Taiwan could qualify directly by finishing ahead of the other eligible Asian teams at the Premier12, but if they fail to do so, they would have another opportunity by winning the final qualifier.
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