World Baseball Softball Confederation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
World Baseball Softball Confederation

Abbreviation	WBSC
Founded	14 April 2013; 12 years ago (2013-04-14)
Merger of	International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and International Softball Federation (ISF)
Type	Sports federation
Legal status	Governing body of baseball, softball, Baseball5 and Blind baseball.
Headquarters	Pully, Switzerland
Location	Av. du Général Guisan 45
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	141 national federations; 7 professional league "associate members"
Official language	English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean
President	Riccardo Fraccari
Main organ	Congress
Subsidiaries	WBSC Africa WBSC Americas WBSC Asia WBSC Europe WBSC Oceania
Affiliations	International Olympic Committee, ARISF, SportAccord

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the main group that runs the sports of baseball, softball, Baseball5, and Blind baseball around the world. It was created in 2013. This happened when two older groups, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and the International Softball Federation (ISF), joined together.

The WBSC helps organize and manage all international baseball and softball events. This includes big tournaments and world championships for national teams. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized the WBSC in 2013. This made it the only global authority for both sports.

The WBSC has many members from 141 countries and regions. These members include national sports groups and even professional baseball teams. The main office of the WBSC is in Pully, Switzerland.

Baseball and softball were not part of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Leaders from both sports wanted them back in the Olympics. They worked together to make a plan for the 2020 Olympic Games. Baseball and softball were added for the 2020 Olympics, which took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they were not included in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Baseball5 is still planned to be part of the 2026 Youth Olympics.

History of WBSC

The flag of the WBSC

In 2005, baseball and softball were removed from the Summer Olympics. The IOC then decided to see baseball and softball as two parts of the same sport. This meant that for them to return to the Olympics, they needed to be considered together.

So, the two separate groups, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and the International Softball Federation (ISF), started talking about joining. In 2012, they began to create rules for how they would work together. They also wrote a new constitution for their combined group.

In April 2013, the IBAF approved this new constitution. The ISF had already agreed to it. This officially created the WBSC. Having one group for both sports helped them work better together. It also improved how they were managed globally. This merger helped show that baseball and softball were universal and fair for both genders. These are important things the IOC looks for in Olympic sports.

At the first big meeting of the World Baseball Softball Congress in Hammamet, Tunisia, Riccardo Fraccari from Italy was chosen as the first president of the WBSC. He was elected for a seven-year term.

What is Baseball5?

B5 batter hitting the ball into field.

In 2017, the WBSC introduced a new type of game called Baseball5 (B5). It's a fast-paced game played with five players on each team. It uses a rubber ball and a small field. You don't need a pitcher in Baseball5. The batter starts the play by hitting the ball with their hand.

Baseball5 was created to be easy and cheap to play. It's great for communities that might not have a lot of sports equipment. It also helps introduce baseball and softball to new places. The WBSC hopes Baseball5 will help a billion people get involved in baseball and softball by 2030.

This game was inspired by street games played in Latin America, like "cuatro esquinas" (four corners) in Cuba. It has been played in international tournaments in the Americas and Europe. It is also taught in schools in many countries. Baseball5 is set to be in the 2026 Youth Olympic Games. There are also World Cups for youth and adult players. These events are played with mixed-gender teams. The WBSC is also planning to make a video game version of Baseball5.

Coed Slow Pitch Softball

On June 9, 2022, the WBSC approved the first official Coed Slow Pitch World Cup. "Coed" means it's for both men and women. This event was planned for December 2023 in Guadalajara, Mexico. However, it was cancelled in October 2023 due to problems with planning.

How WBSC is Organized

The WBSC is run by an executive board. This board has fourteen members, including a president, two vice presidents, and leaders for baseball and softball.

The WBSC also has five main regional groups that manage the sports on different continents:

• WBSC Africa (for Africa)
• WBSC Americas (for North and South America)
• WBSC Asia (for Asia)
• WBSC Europe (for Europe)
• WBSC Oceania (for Australia and nearby islands)

In total, the WBSC works with 198 national sports groups. This includes 132 national men's baseball teams and 122 women's national teams.

The WBSC also has "associate members." These are professional baseball and softball leagues that work with the WBSC. They help support and grow the sports in their countries. Some of these leagues include:

WBSC Tournaments

The WBSC organizes many exciting tournaments for baseball, softball, and Baseball5.

Baseball Tournaments

For Men

• Olympic baseball tournament
• World Baseball Classic
• WBSC Premier12
• U-23 Baseball World Cup (for players under 23)
• U-18 Baseball World Cup (for players under 18)
• U-15 Baseball World Cup (for players under 15)
• U-12 Baseball World Cup (for players under 12)

For Women

• Women's Baseball World Cup

Softball Tournaments

For Men

• Men's Softball World Cup
• U-23 Men's Softball World Cup (for players under 23)
• U-18 Men's Softball World Cup (for players under 18)

For Women

• Olympic softball tournament
• Women's Softball World Cup
• U-18 Women's Softball World Cup (for players under 18)
• U-15 Women's Softball World Cup (for players under 15)

Mixed Teams

• U-12 Softball World Cup (for players under 12)

Baseball5 Tournaments

• Summer Youth Olympics
• Baseball5 World Cup
• Youth Baseball5 World Cup

Current Champions

Here are some of the current champions in major WBSC competitions:

Competition		Year	Host country / region	Champions	Title	Runners-up		Next edition	Dates
Baseball
World Baseball Classic		2023	United States	JPN	3rd	USA		2026	Qualification: TBD
									Finals: 5–17 March 2026
WBSC Premier12		2024	Japan	TPE	1st	JPN		2027
Olympic baseball tournament		2020	Japan	JPN	1st	USA		2028	July 2028
U-23 Baseball World Cup		2024	China	Japan	3rd	Puerto Rico		2026
U-18 Baseball World Cup		2023	Taiwan	Japan	1st	Chinese Taipei		2025
U-15 Baseball World Cup		2024	Colombia	Japan	3rd	Puerto Rico		2026
U-12 Baseball World Cup		2023	Taiwan	United States	5th	Chinese Taipei		2025
Women's Baseball World Cup		2024	Canada	Japan	7th	United States		2027	2026 (group stage) 2027 (finals)
Softball
Men's Softball World Cup		2025	Canada	Venezuela	2nd	New Zealand		2025	12 June – 21 September 2024 (group stage) 8–13 July 2025 (finals)
U-23 Men's Softball World Cup		2023	Argentina	Australia	1st	Japan		2026
U-18 Men's Softball World Cup		2023	Mexico	Japan	4th	Mexico		2027
Women's Softball World Cup		2024	Italy	Japan	4th	United States		2027	2026 (group stage) 2027 (finals)
U-18 Women's Softball World Cup		2021	United States	United States	8th	Chinese Taipei		2025	2024 (group stage) 2025 (finals)
U-15 Women's Softball World Cup		2025	Italy	Japan	1st	Puerto Rico
U-12 Softball World Cup		2021	Taiwan	Chinese Taipei	2nd	Czech Republic		2025
Olympic softball tournament		2020	Japan	JPN	2nd	USA		2028	July 2028
Baseball 5
Baseball5 World Cup		2024	Hong Kong	Cuba	2nd	Japan		2026
Youth Baseball5 World Cup		2023	Mexico	Cuba	1st	France		2025
Youth Olympic Games		First edition will be held in 2026						2026

World Rankings

The WBSC also keeps track of how national teams rank in baseball, softball, and Baseball5. These rankings show which teams are the best in the world.

Top Baseball Teams (Men)

Top 20 Rankings as of 18 December 2023

Rank	Change	Team	Points
1		JPN	5797
2		MEX	4764
3		USA	4492
4		KOR	4353
5		TPE	4170
6		VEN	3975
7		NED	3288
8		CUB	3121
9		DOM	2667
10		PAN	2534
11		AUS	2367
12		PUR	2355
13		COL	2105
14		ITA	1939
15		CZE	1900
16		CAN	1397
17		GER	1223
18		GBR	1142
19		ISR	1086
20		NCA	1021
*Change from 31 December 2021

Top Softball Teams (Men)

Top 20 Rankings as of 26 April 2023

Rank	Change	Team	Points
1		Argentina	4224
2	2	Australia	3551
3		Japan	3451
4	2	Canada	3358
5		United States	2655
6		Czech Republic	2526
7		New Zealand	2280
8		Venezuela	2133
9		Cuba	1807
10		Mexico	1775
11		Denmark	1069
12	2	Singapore	994
13		Guatemala	934
14	2	South Africa	894
15		Philippines	623
16		Netherlands	412
17	4	Israel	339
18	1	Botswana	253
19	1	Dominican Republic	221
20	1	Chinese Taipei	192
*Change from 31 May 2022

Top Baseball Teams (Women)

Top 20 Rankings as of 22 September 2023

Rank	Change	Team	Points
1		Japan	970
2		Chinese Taipei	841
3	2	Venezuela	581
4		United States	510
5	7	Mexico	496
6	3	Puerto Rico	490
7	4	Hong Kong	451
8	5	Canada	428
9	1	South Korea	413
10	3	Cuba	350
11	3	Philippines	324
12	3	China	277
13	5	Australia	264
14	2	France	180
15	3	India	177
16	3	Pakistan	115
17		Indonesia	109
18	12	Dominican Republic	72
19		Thailand	68
20		Czech Republic	56
*Change from 11 August 2021

Top Softball Teams (Women)

Top 20 Rankings as of 10 November 2023

Rank	Change	Team	Points
1		United States	4301
2		Japan	2899
3		Puerto Rico	2815
4	1	Chinese Taipei	2573
5	1	Canada	1885
6	2	Italy	1816
7	1	Mexico	1684
8	1	Netherlands	1602
9	1	Czech Republic	1483
10	3	Australia	1379
11	3	Cuba	953
12		Spain	950
13		Great Britain	936
14	7	Philippines	898
15	4	China	845
16	2	Peru	771
17	2	Venezuela	770
18	1	Israel	725
19	1	Germany	646
20	2	France	624
*Change from 31 December 2021

Top Baseball5 Teams (Mixed)

Top 20 Rankings as of 16 November 2023

Rank	Change	Team	Points
1	1	France	3037
2	1	Chinese Taipei	2775
3		Cuba	2393
4		Tunisia	1995
5	5	Lithuania	1892
6	1	Japan	1639
7	1	South Africa	1593
8	1	Mexico	1560
9	1	South Korea	1442
10	1	Ghana	1219
11	5	Italy	1194
12	7	Netherlands	1179
13	2	Turkey	1144
14	2	Kenya	1046
15	2	China	1030
16	7	Belgium	952
17	3	Romania	905
17	3	Venezuela	905
19	2	Czech Republic	885
20	5	Malaysia	842
*New Rankings

See also

In Spanish: Confederación Mundial de Béisbol y Sóftbol para niños

• Softball at the Summer Olympics
• Baseball at the Summer Olympics