The transfer of the venue and the reconfiguration of the tournament format left Cuba out, adding a new absence in the main event of Caribbean professional baseball.
MADRID, Spain.- The 2026 Caribbean Series will finally be played in Guadalajara, Mexico, from February 1 to 8, following the decision of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) to withdraw the venue originally awarded to Venezuela. As a consequence of this relocation and the reorganization of the format, Cuba will not participate in the tournament, an exclusion that adds to its absence in recent editions and that once again leaves Cuban baseball out of the main regional club event.
The CBPC confirmed that the tournament It will be held at the Pan-American Stadium in Zapopan, home of the Charros de Jalisco, and will have a reduced format. The participating teams will be the champions of the winter leagues of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, two representatives from Mexico – the finalists of the Mexican Pacific League 2025-2026 – and Panama as a guest country. Cuba does not appear in this scheme, nor does the champion of the Venezuelan league.
The transfer of the headquarters It occurred after Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico communicated their refusal to play in Venezuela, citing “external situations beyond their control.” Although no detailed explanations were offered, the decision forced the CBPC to look for a new venue and redefine the structure of the tournament. Guadalajara was selected as a viable alternative, but the change involved adjustments that left out participants who were initially contemplated when the venue was Caracas.
When the 2026 Caribbean Series was scheduled to take place in Venezuela, Cuban participation had been considered as part of the guests, a possibility that was diluted after the reconfiguration of the tournament in Mexican territory.
The island was one of the founding countries of the Caribbean Series in 1949 and dominated several of its early editions before leaving the professional circuit in the 1960s.
Cuba’s last history in the Caribbean Series dates back to 2023when the Farmers team represented the Island in Venezuela. That participation ended marked by a negative balance: six defeats and only one victory, the worst result for a Cuban team in the history of the tournament. Since then, the institutional presence of Cuban baseball in this competition has been intermittent and increasingly limited.
In the 2024 and 2025 editions, the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation (FCBS) did not receive an invitation to participate, although there were Cuban baseball players competing with other Caribbean teams, integrated into foreign professional leagues.
The short and medium term prospects are also not encouraging. The Caribbean Series has already confirmed its next venues: Guadalajara will repeat in 2027, while Miami will host the tournament between 2028 and 2030, scenarios in which, so far, no plan has been announced that contemplates the institutional return of Team Cuba to the event.
