Fox Sports will once again be the TV and streaming home for the 2026 World Baseball Classic in the U.S., with the media company announcing its deal for the international tournament Tuesday.
It will be the second WBC for Fox, which also televised the last installment in 2023. The event sees countries face off against each other in a tournament similar to the FIFA World Cup. The 2023 WBC saw Team Japan defeat Team USA in dramatic fashion, with Shohei Ohtani striking out his Anaheim Angels teammate Mike Trout to win the tournament. That game-defining moment averaged more than 6.5 million viewers.
The Fox broadcast network will air seven WBC games, including games involving Team USA, the quarterfinals, and the championship, with the remaining games running on FS1, FS2, and streaming on Fox One and Tubi, expanding the reach of the event.
Earlier this summer Netflix picked up WBC rights in Japan, where the 2023 tournament drew numbers comparable to the Super Bowl in the U.S.
“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,” said Fox Sports executive VP and 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.”
“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,” added Noah Garden, MLB deputy commissioner for 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,’’ added 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.’’
