Enrique Rojas of ESPN Digital reports that the WBSC Americas (World Baseball and Softball Confederation of the Americas) is getting ready to launch the inaugural Copa América de Béisbol in 2025.
Based on Rojas' information, the tournament is intended to serve as a qualifying competition for global competitions like the Olympics, as well as regional and worldwide events, while also considering future installments of the World Baseball Classic.
The initial plan is to host the inaugural edition in November of the following year, in a tournament similar to the WBSC Premier12 starting this Saturday and that takes place every four years. This event will feature the top 12 teams from the American continent.
Rojas highlights that Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the United States are the top contenders to host the first edition.
As per the WBSC World Rankings released on September 18, the top 12 teams in the Americas are currently Mexico (No. 2), Venezuela (No. 4), United States (No. 5), Puerto Rico (No. 8), Cuba (No. 9), Panama (No. 10), Colombia (No. 11), Dominican Republic (No. 12), Nicaragua (No. 16), Canada (No. 22), Brazil (No. 24), and Curacao (No. 29). Any potential changes to the list of participants can only occur after the Premier12 concludes.
In the past, the now-defunct IBAF and the current WBSC have organized regional qualifying tournaments for global events like the Olympic Games or the World Baseball Classic. However, none of these tournaments have come close to what this event has the potential to provide.
