In the online meeting held on 11 January, the Executive Council of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has approved the calendar of international tournaments for the year 2022. There will be nine events scheduled, with some still waiting to define the venue and precise dates.
The first highlight of the year will involve the world’s best softball teams ai World Games to be held in Birmingham (Alabama) from 9 to 13 July. Italia Softball, which gained access thanks to the European title won in 2021 in Friuli Venezia-Giulia, will participate together with the other 5 “Olympic” nations (United States, Japan, Australia, Canada and Mexico) and the two Asian teams China and Taiwan. All eight participants are included in the top-ten of the WBSC world ranking, in which Italy occupies the eighth position.
In the context of softball, the other world competitions concern men’s softball in October (U23 World Cup in Argentina) and November (Men’s Softball World Cup from 26 November to 4 December scheduled in Auckland, New Zealand). In Taichung (Taiwan), from 10 to 14 August, the second “mixed” softball U12 World Cup is also scheduled.
Speaking of Taiwan, there will be two other batti e corri events that will take place on the island of Formosa. The World U12 baseball, from 29 July to 7 August, will be played again in Taiwan after the success of the 2019 edition.Italy champion of Europe is already qualified together with the title holders, as well as hosts, from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Czech Republic, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Among the participants are missing a team from Africa, one from Oceania and a Wild Card.
Italy will also be present at the U18 World Cup Baseball scheduled from 9 to 18 September in Sarasota and Bradenton (USA). For the Azzurri it is a return to the U18 world kermesse (the last participation was in 2017) which took place thanks to the silver medal obtained at the 2021 European Championship played in Macerata and Montegranaro. Europe will also be represented by the Netherlands, while the rest of the qualifiers include American Samoa, Brazil, Canada, Taiwan (reigning champion), Japan, South Korea, USA, Panama and Mexico. There is only one nation missing from the African continent.
Even the U23 Baseball World Cup will be played in Taiwan, in the capital Taipei, from 14 to 23 October. Germany and the Netherlands are the first two teams qualified (thanks to the final reached at the U23 European Championship last August) and during the year the list of contenders for the title, won by Venezuela in the last edition, will be completed by the other nations. While waiting to define the venue and dates, the U15 baseball world cup is confirmed in the 2022 calendar. Also in this case the only two qualified teams are European: Czech Republic and France, to which will be added another 9 qualified teams and a wild card.
Even the Baseball5 it is included in the calendar with the first World Cup which will have the definition of the date and place subsequently. In this regard, Mexico is one of the nations that has applied to host the Baseball5 competition, in addition to the U15 World Cup in baseball.
by Kevin Senatore
