Preview: WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico
The 12-best youth softball teams from five continents will battle at the Fernando Ortiz and Mundialistas Hermosillenses stadiums, from 11 to 19 November, to compete for the highest honour of playing for their countries and becoming world champions.
The teams have been split into two groups:
- Group A: No. 2 Australia, No. 4 Canada, No. 6 Czechia, No. 10 Mexico, No. 12 Singapore and No. 24 Colombia
- Group B: No. 1 Argentina, No. 3 Japan, No. 5 USA, No. 7 New Zealand and No. 8 Venezuela
Following a five-day Opening Round, the top three squads from each group will advance to the Super Round. The two teams with the best record after the Super Round will play in the World Championship Game on 1 March, while the third- and fourth-place teams will play for the bronze medal.
HISTORICAL RESULTS AND PREVIEWS
GROUP A
Four medallists in the history of the event will colide in Group A during the Opening Round of the WBSC U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup, including the most decorated men’s softball youth program in the world, Australia; the winner of the 1993 World Championship, Canada; and bronze medallists Czechia (2020) and Mexico (1981).
AUSTRALIA
- JMSWC Appearances: 10
- Highest finish: 1st (1997, 2001, 2005, 2008 and 2018)
- 2020 finish: 2nd
- Ranking: 3
- Australia is the most successful program in history. They won four consecutive world championships from 1997 to 2008, and then came back in 2018 for their fifth world title.
- Australia’s overall record in the JMSWC is 84-21, for an all time 80 % winning percentage.
- In the latest tournament in Palmerston North, Australia lost two games, both against Japan, in the Super Round and the World Championship Final.
CANADA
- JMSWC Appearances: 13
- Highest finish: 1st (1993)
- 2020 finish: 7th
- Ranking: 4
- Canada has participated in all the men’s softball youth global competitions, with 13 appearances in the JMSWC. They organized the event seven times, including the first edition in 1981 in Edmonton, but have yet to win the title on home soil.
- Canada won their only JMSWC in New Zealand, in 1993.
- Canada beat Argentina to win the Pan American Championship bronze medal held in September in Colombia.
CZECHIA
- JMSWC Appearances: 9
- Highest finish: 3rd (2020)
- 2020 finish: 3rd
- Ranking: 6
- Czechia made their debut in the JMSWC in 1997 with a tenth place finish, becoming the first European team ever to play in this event.
- Czechia went undefeated to win the European Qualifier played in July on home soil.
- The European team earned the bronze medal in Palmerston North 2020, defeating Argentina 2-0 in the bronze medal game. It was their first-ever medal in Men’s Softball World Cup.
MEXICO
- JMSWC Appearances: 12
- Highest finish: 3rd (1981)
- 2020 finish: 8th
- Ranking: 10
- In the inaugural event of the JMSWC, Mexico earned their only medal in this age category. They beat Canada in the single elimination game, but then lost to USA the second semifinal.
- The U-18 Men’s Softball World Cup represents the second time Mexico host a softball world cup. The country hosted in 1966 the inaugural edition of the senior Men’s Softball World Cup.
- In Palmerston North, mexico failed to make the Super Round.
SINGAPORE
- JMSWC Appearances: 3
- Highest finish: 9th (2020)
- 2020 finish: 9th
- Ranking: 12
- Singapore defeated finished second in the Asian Cup back in June to punch their ticket to Hermosillo.
- It’s the first time Singapore plays back-to-back World Cups.
- After collecting only one win in 14 games in their first two appearances in the tournament (Parana 2012 and Midland 2016), a 3-1 win over Denmark in 2012, Singapore posted a 3-5 record in Palmerston North to finish in ninth position, the highest in the programme’s history.
- Last year Singapore climbed five spots in the WBSC Men’s Softball World Rankings and finished the year ranked 17th, their highest ever.
GROUP B
Five of the top eight teams in te world will compete in a very contested Group B, including the defending World Champions Japan and World No. 1 Argentina. The group also features Oceania’s superpower New Zealand, the Pan American Champions USA, and runner-up Venezuela.
ARGENTINA
- JMSWC Appearances: 12
- Highest finish: 1st Place (2012 and 2014)
- 2020 finish: 4th
- Ranking: 1
- Argentina won back-to-back JMSWCs in 2012 in Parana (as the host team) and 2014 in Midland, USA. Three years later the core of these teams played a pivotal role in winning the WBSC Men's Softball World Championship 2019, the country’s biggest-ever victory so far.
- In the last JMSWC in 2020, Argentina advanced to the bronze medal game, losing to Czechia, 2-0. They finished wirth an overall 5-4 record.
- Argentina finished fourth in the World Cup Americas Qualifier.
JAPAN
- JMSWC Appearances: 13
- Highest finish: 1st (1981, 2016 and 2020)
- 2020 finish: 1st
- Ranking: 3
- Japan went undefeated in Palmerston North to clinch their third junior men’s softball world title.
- The defending champions played six of the last eight Junior Men’s Softball World Cup finals, winning in 2016 in Midland and 2020 in Palmerston North. Their other title was in the inaugural event, in Edmonton, Canada.
- The Japanese team is only one of the three nations to be present at every edition of the World Cup
NEW ZEALAND
- JMSWC Appearances: 12
- Highest finish: 1st (1985 and 1989)
- 2020 finish: 5th
- Ranking: 7
- The Junior Black Sox missed the first edition of the JMSWC, and won back-to-back titles in the 1980s in their first two appearances, in Fargo 1985 and Summerside 1989.
- Since then, New Zealand has never won again, losing the four finals they played (1993, 1997, 2014 and 2016).
- In 2020, they finished in fifth place, with an overall 4-4 record.
UNITED STATES
- JMSWC Appearances: 13
- Highest finish: 2nd (1981, 1985)
- 2020 finish: 10th
- Ranking: 5
- USA played the first two finals in 1981 and 1985, losing to Japan and New Zealand respectively. After that, they failed to claim a JMSWC medal.
- In September, USA posted a 5-1 record across the Pan American Championship to win the country’s first U-18 men’s softball medal in over 35 years.
- USA remain as one of the three nations with perfect attendance on the youth men’s softball global stage.
VENEZUELA
- JMSWC Appearances: 4
- Highest finish: 5th (2008)
- 2020 finish: N/A
- Ranking: 8
- Venezuela is back in the tournament after 11 years. They participated in four editions, in 1997, 2001, 2008 and 2012.
- They qualified for this tournament after a second-place finish at the Pan American Championship.
- In 2008, Venezuela had their best performance ever in the competition, finishing fifth.
COLOMBIA
- JMSWC Appearances: 0
- Highest finish: N/A
- 2020 finish: N/A
- Ranking: 24
- Colombia is the only debutant team in the competition.
- Colombia will become the 23rd nation to feature in the oldest youth men’s softball international competition.
- They hosted the Pan American Championship in September in Sincelejo. Colombia were swept in the Opening Round, and then defeated No. 28 Peru, 9-7, to earn the fifth place behind USA, Venezuela, Canada and Argentina, who grabbed their tickets to the World Cup.