Dates, locations set for WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier
April 13, 2021
By Adam Morissette
Baseball Canada
OTTAWA – The Palm Beaches and St. Lucie County, Florida will play host to the WBSC Baseball Americas Qualifier from May 31 to June 5 the World Baseball Softball Confederation announced on Tuesday.
Canada’s men’s national team will be joined by seven other countries for the event that will determine the fifth national team to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic baseball tournament, joining qualified nations Japan, Korea, Mexico and Israel.
"The teams and the entire baseball world are all looking forward to this exciting moment to arrive on the road to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” said WBSC president Riccardo Fraccari in a statement. “Now with the dates and venues locked in place, anticipation builds even higher for this important qualifier, which we hope will provide an excellent preview of the Tokyo 2020 Games and what they represent, as a symbol of hope and inspiration.”
Canada will begin group play in Group B with Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia while Group A features host USA along with the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.
Following group play, the top two finishers from each group will advance to the Super Round, where they will each play two games. Head-to-head contests among these teams from the opening round will carry over into the Super Round standings.
The first-place team at the end of the Super Round will gain entry to the Tokyo Olympic Baseball tournament.
The second-and the third-place teams in the Super Round standings will qualify for the WBSC Baseball Final Qualifier, scheduled from June 16-20 in Taiwan at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium and Douliou Baseball Stadium in Douliu City.
The other participating teams are host Chinese Taipei, Australia, Netherlands and China.
The winner of the event will earn the final spot in the Tokyo Olympic Baseball tournament.