Three-time WBC champion Japan will defend its title when the 20-team tournament returns in 2026. #WorldBaseballClassic #Baseball #Japan
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Fox Sports Update
World Baseball Classic set to return in 2026
The World Baseball Classic will return for a sixth edition in 2026 and feature 20 international teams made up of some of the world's best baseball talent. 16 teams, including reigning champion Japan and runner-up USA, have been announced as competitors, while four more will be added at a later date. The tournament will begin with four pool groups competing from March 5th to the 11th in Tokyo, Japan, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Houston, Texas, and Miami, Florida, which will also serve as host of the semifinals and championship game. Japan is the only country to have won the World Baseball Classic more than once, taking home the championship hardware in 2006 and 2009 in addition to 2023. Other past winners include the US in 2017 and the Dominican Republic in 2013. For more on the World Baseball Classic, visit foxports.com or download the Fox Sports app. This episode is brought to you by Honda. When you test drive the all-new prologue EV, there's a lot that can impress you about it. There's the class-leading passenger space, the clean, thoughtful design, and the intuitive technology. But out of everything, what you'll really love most is that it's a Honda. Visit Honda.com/ev to see offers. U.S. Flag Football National Team Captain Darryl Hoosch Dusette believes he is better than NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes when it comes to playing the newly minted Olympic sport of flag football. Dusette has been quite vocal since the NFL dropped a hype video for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in which flag football will make its debut. The video, which featured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hertz, did not sit well with the flag football champion who says he saw it as a "threat to his job" and believes it's "disrespectful" for the professional players to just "automatically assume they will be a part of the team." More recently, Dusette told TMZ Sports QUOTE, "I feel like I'm better than Patrick Mahomes because of my IQ of the game, adding it will be hard for players like Mahomes to transition to the game because they've never played it." Meanwhile, NFL rookie Bo Nix has been named the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos to begin the 2024 season. Head coach Sean Payton made the announcement on Wednesday, revealing the club has selected the #12 overall pick as QB1, making Nix the first Broncos rookie quarterback to get the week-one job since John Elway in 1983. The Broncos open the season September 8th at the Seattle Seahawks. Elsewhere, the Nebraska Cornhuskers also named their starting QB on Wednesday, going with true freshman and former consensus five-star recruit Dylan Ryola. Ryola has long been universally considered one of the best overall prospects in the entire class of 2024 and will make his debut week one when Nebraska hosts the University of Texas at El Paso on August 31st at 3.30pm on Fox. I'm Joe Morgan. (dramatic music)