While the 2026 World Baseball Classic is still over a year away, sportsbooks have WBC odds on the board for the 20-team international showdown beginning in March 2026.
Japan took home the title in the 2023 edition with Shohei Ohtani closing out the final by striking out former teammate and Team USA star Mike Trout.
Team USA is the betting favorite in the MLB odds, with Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico rounding out the top four clubs on the board.
2026 World Baseball Classic odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| USA | +225 |
| Japan | +250 |
| Dominican Republic | +450 |
| Puerto Rico | +700 |
| Venezuela | +1400 |
| South Korea | +1600 |
| Mexico | +1800 |
| Netherlands | +2200 |
| Cuba | +3500 |
| Panama | +4000 |
| Italy | +5000 |
| Canada | +5000 |
| Israel | +6500 |
| Australia | +8000 |
| Great Britain | +10000 |
| Czech Republic | +10000 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings on 2/21/25
Favorites to win the World Baseball Classic
USA
The Americans can send out a power-packed lineup around heart-of-the-order staples Aaron Judge and Bryce Harper, and it’s hard to imagine just how impactful Paul Skenes would be donning the red, white, and blue.
Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, and Kyle Schwarber will still have plenty to offer, while Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, and Adley Rustchman are potential headliners for the next wave of American stars.
Add any combination of Tarik Skubal, Zack Wheeler, Cole Ragans, and/or Corbin Burnes to round out the rotation behind Skenes, and the arms are just as talented as the bats.
Rumor has it Mason Miller is no slouch out of the pen, either.
Japan
Superstar Shohei Ohtani led the Japanese to an undefeated run through the 2023 World Baseball Classic and a blend of NPB and MLB talents will look to repeat.
Go-to hurlers Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have joined Ohtani in the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation, while Kodai Senga and Shota Imanaga are also showing off in the majors.
The lineup is also likely to feature Masataka Yoshida and Seiya Suzuki, with third baseman Munetaka Murakami the next Japanese star to take his talents to the MLB following the 2025 campaign.
Japan also won consecutive World Baseball Classics in 2006 and 2009 and is the only country to win more than once.
Dominican Republic
I’m not convinced the Dominican Republic has the pitching to win it all, but they might have the bats to put so many runs on the board that it won’t matter.
The Dominicanos totting out Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Jose Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Rafael Devers will give opposing managers and pitching staff nightmares, and the pipeline of stars never seems to run dry.
Julio Rodriguez has MVP upside, and Jasson Dominguez is ready for full-time work in the majors.
Suppose a combination of Freddy Peralta, Luis Gil, Luis Severino, Framber Valdez, Luis Castillo, Sandy Alcantara, and/or others can ham-and-egg their way through the tournament. In that case, there should be enough run support to string together wins.
World Baseball Classic format
The 16 teams that were featured in the 2023 WBC were given automatic bids. The other four earned spots through the two qualifying tournaments.
The 20 teams are divided into pools with four squads each for round-robin play. The Top 2 teams from each pool then advance to the knockout round of eight.
Past World Baseball Classic winners
Japan has been dominating while recording three first-place finishes, and ending up on the podium in each tournament so far. Puerto Rico has also been a consistent contender appearing in the gold-medal game in two of the last three tournaments.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Japan | United States |
| 2017 | United States | Puerto Rico |
| 2013 | Dominican Republic | Puerto Rico |
| 2009 | Japan | South Korea |
| 2006 | Japan | Cuba |
Understanding World Baseball Classic futures
Sportsbooks release WBC futures odds a month or two before the start of the event. Picking the outright winner is the popular way to wager on World Baseball Classic futures.
Futures odds will usually look like this:
- USA +225
This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to profit $225 should the Americans win the event. If it's close to the end of the tournament and one team is simply that dominant, you might see a minus sign (-) ahead of their odds.
- Dominican Republic -175
This means that you would need to bet $175 to win $100 if the DR wins the WBC.
All the odds seen above are in American format. If you find decimal format or fractional format easier to read, simply convert the odds using our simple odds converter tool.
World Baseball Classic FAQs
The United States are favored to win the 2026 WBC at +225.
USA is the favorite at +225, while Canada is currently at +5000 to win the WBC.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic runs from March 5-17, 2026, in the United States, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Tokyo.
