Will Korea Outperform Japan and Taiwan for 2028 LA Olympics Baseball? Key Qualification Insights
Daniel Kim Views
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has unveiled the qualification process for baseball in the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics.
The tournament will feature six teams, including the United States, which automatically qualifies as the host nation.
Two spots will be secured by the top American teams (excluding the U.S.) at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) next month.
Two more berths will be awarded at the Premier12 tournament in November next year, with one going to the top Asian team and another to the best-performing European or Oceanian squad.
The final spot will be determined through a last-chance qualifier in March 2028, featuring six teams: the top two from both Asian and European Championships, and the winners of the African and Oceanian Championships.
Failing that, they’ll need to navigate the Asian Championships and the final qualifier, likely facing tough competition from Japan or Taiwan again.  The qualification path has narrowed compared to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Then, Japan auto-qualified as hosts, while South Korea secured their spot as the top Asian team (excluding Japan) in the 2019 Premier12. For 2028, even Japan must go through qualifiers. |
| sports@stoo.com ] The closest and most fun news ⓒ Sports Today |
Most Commented