Everything seems to indicate that Cuba will be represented in the VI World Baseball Classic (WBC, for its acronym in English), which will be played in March 2026 in different cities around the planet.
Journalist Francys Romeros, citing sources linked to the organizers, assured that the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation (FCBS) would have delivered a roster of 50 eligible players for the tournament, a step that had been delayed for non-sporting reasons.
All the teams participating in the tournament had completed this procedure on September 1, while Cuba was waiting for permission from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac)an essential requirement for the Major Leagues (MLB) to extend the official invitation to the island.
According to Romero, in the extensive list provided by the Cuban baseball authorities, several players who saw action in the most recent MLB season, such as Andy Pagés from Pinar del Río (Los Angeles Dodgers), Pinar del Río Andy Ibáñez (Detroit Tigers) and Cienfuegos player Yoan Moncada (Los Angeles Angels).
It also mentions the pitcher from Camagüey Yariel Rodríguez, of the Toronto Blue Jays, who unilaterally broke a contract covered by the FCBS in 2023 with the Chunichi Dragons, of the Japanese professional league.
Cuba will play against MLB teams… if it receives permission to participate in the World Classic
Until now, the island’s federation, which denounced discriminatory treatment at the time Due to the impossibility of completing the previous procedures in time, it has not commented on the latest developments.
Cuban teams have participated in all previous editions of the WBC, and their best performance was in the initial edition, when they reached the final, which they lost against the team from Japan.
It was not until the last version that the authorities gave the green light to the inclusion of players contracted on their own in professional circuits—including the MLB—; happened that came to fruition with the incorporations of Moncada and the Avilanian Luis Robert Jr.., among others, in the team that reached fourth position in that tournament.
Contrary to what happened in the most recent calls, Cuba will begin the next tournament playing in America, specifically in Puerto Rico, headquarters of group A, which it will share with the local team and those from Canada, Panama and Colombia.
If he passes this stage, he will have to move to the United States, the country that will host the decisive stages of the contest.
