OTTAWA - The dates are locked in, the six-team field is set and now the countdown is on!
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) formally announced today that the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals 2024 will take place from July 28 – August 3 at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Following the completion of the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Group Stage 2023, the six participating nations that will be competing for a world championship in 2024 include Canada, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Mexico, USA, and Venezuela.
The IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup is the first being played under the two-stage format. The first stage involved 12 Teams competing in two groups. Thunder Bay hosted Group A in August, while Miyoshi City, Japan, staged Group B this past week.
The field of teams for the Finals is set after the Group Stage, with No. 3 USA, No. 4 Canada and No. 12 Mexico advancing from Group A; and No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese Taipei and No. 5 Venezuela earning the three tickets available in Group B.
Canada earned their spot in the Finals after finishing second place with a 4-1 record in August with victories against Mexico, Hong Kong, Australia, and South Korea.
During the Finals, the six teams will play a single round robin, with the top two teams in the standings playing for the title of World Champions on August 3. Third and fourth place finishers will play for the bronze medal. August 2 has been saved as a rain day. The official game schedule will be announced at a later date.
Japan has won the last six editions of the Women's Baseball World Cup including the last time the event was held in 2018 where Canada captured the bronze medal with an extra innings win over host USA.
All-time, Canada has captured six Women’s Baseball World Cup medals including bronze in 2004, 2006, 2012 and 2018 along with silver in 2008 and 2016.
Canada hosted the inaugural Women's Baseball World Cup in 2004 and the fifth edition (2012) in Edmonton, Alberta, and will do so for the third time in history in Thunder Bay in 2024.
No stranger to hosting international baseball, the Thunder Bay International Baseball Association will add the 2024 Women’s Baseball World Cup to a list that includes the 2010 and 2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cups along with the 2022 Canada/USA Women’s Friendship Series and the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Group A Stage 2023.
