The second edition of the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup, hosted in Hong Kong, China at the spectacular Central Harbourfront event space in October, highlighted another successful year of growth and progress for the five-on-five version of baseball/softball.
An incredible and memorable moment
On behalf of the international baseball and softball community, World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari praised the tournament as “an amazing and memorable event.”
“It has been a true pleasure for WBSC to host the 2024 edition of the Baseball5 World Cup at the iconic Central Harbourfront event space,” he added. “I am sure that this tournament will remain in our memories forever. Thank you to the athletes for the excellent performances and to the LOC for providing the perfect and inspiring setting for our best athletes to perform at their best.”
The 2nd Baseball5 World Cup, which included a new set of rules aimed at improving the safety and flow of the game, saw Cuba defeat Japan in the final to successfully defend its World Champion title obtained in the inaugural edition in Mexico two years ago. France took the bronze medal.
The National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) of Cuba named the Baseball5 National Team as the Best Team of the Year in Cuba. It was the first time the award was awarded to a Baseball5 team. Additionally, the Cuban National Baseball5 Team was named Most Outstanding Team of the Year after remaining undefeated on their way to winning the Americas Qualification and World Cup titles. Haila González, MVP and winner of the 2024 WBSC Baseball5 World Cup, was named the best female athlete in team sports. Two-time World Cup MVP and champion Briandy Molina has been included among the Most Outstanding Athletes of the Year.
Baseball5 continues to be one of the most inclusive sports disciplines. One of the official hashtags for the exciting WBSC urban sport is #PlayEverywhere due to its ability to be played in any location – street, field or sports hall – or on any surface – grass, hard court, concrete. It is also a sport that is played by everyone, from primary school students to the older generations.
The WBSC Baseball5 World Cup Hong Kong 2024 was a perfect example. With the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup age criteria being 15 and older (by year of birth), the WBSC caught up with the youngest competitor in Hong Kong – Kira Baitiul from Lithuania, who turns 15 on 30 December – and the oldest in Australia’s Jose Rodriguez, who turned 46 on 12 December.
At the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup, Hong Kong 2024 was a perfect example. Using the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup age criteria of 15 years or older (by year of birth), WBSC caught up with the youngest competitor in Hong Kong, Kira Baitiul of Lithuania, who will turn 15 on December 30, and the oldest, the Australian José Rodríguez, who turned 46 on December 12.
More teams in the Baseball5 World Cups
Ahead of this year’s Baseball5 World Cup, the WBSC Executive Board announced the expansion of the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup and the WBSC Youth Baseball World Cup following the extensive growth of the sport globally and the outstanding success of the inaugural tournaments. Future editions of both tournaments will increase from 12 to 16 teams, offering more opportunities to athletes globally to participate in the WBSC’s premier Baseball5 tournaments with a projected minimal cost increase for organisers with the overall number of competition days reducing from six to five or four days. In addition to an increase in the number of players from 96 to 128, competing teams will play 56 games instead of 50 from the 12-team format.
On the eve of this year’s Baseball5 World Cup, the WBSC Executive Committee announced the expansion of the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup and the WBSC Youth Baseball World Cup following the extensive growth of the sport globally and the extraordinary success of the inaugural tournaments. Future editions of both tournaments will increase from 12 to 16 teams, offering more opportunities for athletes around the world to participate in the major Baseball5 WBSC tournaments with a minimal projected cost increase for organizers, with the total number of competition days from six to five or four days. In addition to an increase in player numbers from 96 to 128, competing teams will play 56 games instead of the 50 in the 12-team format.
Happy second anniversary
Head coach Amjad Alatoom will celebrate the second anniversary of the Baseball5 project in January 2025 at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. The Azraq Refugee Camp is home to over 39,000 people, 60% of whom are children, who were forcibly displaced from their homes by the war in neighbouring Syria. One of the WBSC’s nine Strategic Goals is “Grow our Sport and Make it Relevant in People’s Lives and Communities.” Baseball5 provides refugees with access to sport, regardless of their background.
Head coach Amjad Alatoom will celebrate the second anniversary of the Baseball5 project in January 2025 at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. The Azraq refugee camp is home to more than 39,000 people, 60% of whom are children, who were forcibly displaced from their homes by the war in neighboring Syria. One of the nine strategic objectives of the WBSC is “to grow our sport and make it relevant in the lives of people and communities.” Baseball5 provides refugees with access to sport, regardless of their origin.
WBSC hopes to see Baseball5’s Azraq Refugee Team participate in the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
In April 2024, the Baseball5 Azraq Refugee Team organized the second edition of the Ramadan Open Sports Day inside the Azraq Refugee Camp. Three Baseball5 tournaments involved 90 girls and boys from three age groups. Three teams participated in the Under-12 category, eight in the Under-14 category and three competed at the Under-16 level.
Baseball5 Azraq Refugee Team also participated in exhibition matches with the French National Team at Club France in La Vilette on August 10 and 11 during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while Baseball5 was also part of the second edition of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation’s (THF) Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in early May.
In another example of the power of Baseball5 to encourage participation in sports, WBSC introduced the sport to the Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya, which currently hosts almost 290,000 refugees. On Saturday, July 13, a public Baseball5 event was held at Kakuma 1 on the field, involving 53 children from the Sudanese, Congolese, Ethiopian and Somali communities, along with five volunteer facilitators. Other events were held in December.
Baseball5 continues to have an impact around the world
Baseball5 development events took place on four continents through 2024.
- In February, the five-on-five version of baseball/softball highlighted World Environmental Education Day in Santiago, Chile, where four teams of migrant boys and girls competed in a Baseball5 tournament.
- The Puerto Rican Baseball Federation certified 867 teachers to run Baseball5 development programs in schools.
- Germany organized its first National Baseball5 Championship.
- USA Baseball announced in March the launch of exclusive Baseball5 balls and game kits for the US region in partnership with GameMaster Athletic.
- Puerto Rico launched the first Baseball5 National Championship in May.
- Mexico organized the National School Baseball5 Championship in July. It turned out to be a success, involving 45 teams and 400 students.
- Saudi Arabia made its international debut at the Baseball5 French International in Toulouse.
- Cambodia launched a 12-team league in August.
- Thailand organized training seminars in Suphan Buri and Chon Buri.
- The Argentine Softball Confederation and the Ministry of Sports of the Province of Buenos Aires partnered to include Baseball5 in the Buenos Aires School Games, involving more than 300 children.
- The Austrian Baseball and Softball Federation (ABF) held a Baseball5 promotional event in Vienna in September.
- In October, Chedli Mokrani and Sofien Riahi taught a WBSC course in Somone, Senegal, involving 26 coaches and 20 players.
Anticipating the Youth Olympics
In 2025, Mexico will host the second edition of the WBSC Baseball5 Youth World Cup and in December the International Olympic Committee confirmed Baseball5 as one of the 25 sports on the program of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
Italy was also announced as host of the 2026 WBSC Baseball5 World Cup.
