WBSC Oceania announced that Fiji will represent the continent at the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2025, becoming the 10th qualified team* for the tournament, which will take place in the Mexican State of Nayarit from September 24 to 27.
Fiji, which introduced a Baseball5 programme in 2022, made its debut in a WBSC competition when participating in the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup 2019.
“This is a proud moment for Fiji,” said Inoke Niubalavu, Secretary General and Development Officer of the Fiji Islands Baseball & Softball Association (FIBSA). “It’s our first-ever qualification to the Baseball5 Youth World Cup, and a testament to the work we’ve been doing on the ground since we launched the programme.”
Mexico will host the II WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup in the Nayarit State from September 24 to 27. The local organizers will soon announce the venues.
The other nine teams to have qualified for the WBSC Youth Baseball5 World Cup 2025 are:
World No. 4 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei and No. 11 Korea earned their spot as the top three finishers of the II Youth Baseball5 Asia Cup.
World No. 7 Lithuania, No. 12 Türkiye and No. 3 France qualified through the U-18 Baseball5 European Championship in November 2024.
No. 13 Ghana and No. 15 Kenya qualified through the Youth Baseball5 African Championship in January.
No. 16 Mexico is the Host Nation.
The rest of the participation quota is as follows:
- Americas (4)
- Wild Cards (2).
* In October 2024, the WBSC Executive Board approved an increase in the number of participants from 12 to 16.