The World Baseball Classic has become an exciting part of baseball. The four previous tournaments (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017) have provided some thrills, love of country, and compelling baseball. The USA won the last one, in 2017; there was a tournament scheduled for 2021, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, the WBC is returning next spring, but not before some qualifying tournaments this fall will fill out a 20-team field, the largest in tournament history. The 16 teams that participated in the 2017 WBC are invited to play in 2023 and they will be joined by four teams that will have advanced from the 2022 qualifiers.