2027 WBSC Premier12 qualification
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  ChinaTBD |
| Dates | November 26–29, 2026 |
| Teams | 8 (from at least 3 confederations) |
The qualifying round of the 2027 WBSC Premier12, officially called the WBSC Premier12 2027 Qualifier, will be held in late 2026. The top twelve national baseball teams ranked by the World Baseball Softball Confederation automatically qualified for the tournament, with the qualifiers being held to determine the remaining four teams. Two tournaments of four teams each will be held, with the first taking place in November 2026 in Zhongshan, China.
With the expansion of the WBSC Premier12 from 12 teams to 16 beginning in 2027, these will be the first qualifying tournaments held for the competition.[1]
Qualified teams
| Team | World Ranking[2] |
Method of qualification |
Date of qualification |
Premier12 appearance |
Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png){kind=small} Australia
|
11 | WBSC World Rankings | December 31, 2025 | 3rd | Super Round (2019) |
 Chinese Taipei[3]
|
2 | 4th | Champions (2024) | ||
 Cuba
|
10 | 4th | Quarterfinals (2015) | ||
 Dominican Republic
|
12 | 4th | Group stage (2015, 2019, 2024) | ||
 Japan
|
1 | 4th | Champions (2019) | ||
 Mexico
|
6 | 4th | Third place (2024) | ||
 Netherlands
|
9 | 4th | Quarterfinals (2015) | ||
 Panama
|
8 | 2nd | Group stage (2024) | ||
 Puerto Rico
|
7 | 4th | Quarterfinals (2015) | ||
 South Korea
|
4 | 4th | Champions (2015) | ||
 United States
|
3 | 4th | Runners-up (2015) | ||
 Venezuela
|
5 | 4th | Fourth place (2024) |
Format
The format of the qualifying round was announced in October 2024. Six teams ranked 13th to 18th in the WBSC World Rankings as of December 31, 2025, qualified for the initial tournament, with two wild cards will also set to join. Two groups of four teams will play in a round-robin format for three game days, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the Premier12.[1]
In January 2026, seven of the eight teams participating in the tournament were announced by the WBSC based on the most recent World Rankings: Colombia, Italy, Czechia, Nicaragua, China, Germany, and Great Britain. The final slot is expected to either be taken by Canada, the twentieth ranked team, or a wild card if the host of the second qualifying tournament is not in the top 20.[4]
Venues
The first tournament will be held at the International Baseball and Softball Centre in Zhongshan, China, from November 26 to 29, 2026. The venue was first used to host baseball and softball at the 2025 National Games of China.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Premier12 to expand to 16 teams in 2027 highlighting success of WBSC's flagship event". wbsc.org. October 24, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
- ^ "WBSC World Rankings". wbsc.org. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
- ^ "Taiwan qualifies for 2027 Premier12 tournament - Taipei Times". www.taipeitimes.com. 2026-01-02. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
- ^ "Premier12 2027: Teams announced for Opening Round and Qualifiers". wbsc.org. Lausanne. January 14, 2026. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- ^ "China to host historic WBSC Premier12 2027 Qualifier in Zhongshan". wbsc.org. December 30, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.