Baseball World Cup

The Baseball World Cup was an international tournament where national baseball teams from around the world competed. It was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Along with the World Baseball Classic, it was one of two active tournaments considered by the IBAF to be a major world championship.[1] The baseball tournament at the Summer Olympic Games was also considered a major world championship while baseball was an Olympic sport.[2]

Baseball World Cup
Most recent season or competition:
2011 Baseball World Cup
SportBaseball
Founded1938
Ceased2011
No. of teams16 (in 2011)
ContinentInternational
Last
champion(s)
 Netherlands
Most titles Cuba (25 times)

After the 2011 tournament, the Baseball World Cup was discontinued in favor of an expanded World Baseball Classic tournament. The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) – successor to the IBAF – now sanctions two new tournaments: the biennial 23U Baseball World Cup (begun as the 21U Baseball World Cup in 2014) and WBSC's quadrennial, flagship tournament – involving the twelve best-ranked national teams in the world – called the WBSC Premier12 (starting in 2015).[3]

History

The Baseball World Cup was held 38 times; the final one was in 2011 in Panama. The first tournament, held in 1938, featured only two teams, but the last tournament included 22 participants; the previous two featured 16 and 18 teams (in 2007 and 2005, respectively). The World Cup was originally called the Amateur World Series, until the tournament in 1988. Until 1988, the Amateur World Series was held in intervals of one to four years, except for the eight-year period from 1953–61. From 1988 to 2001, the Baseball World Cup was held in intervals of two to four years. After 2001, the tournament was held every two years.

Until 1998 the competition was limited to amateur players. After 1998, professional minor league players competed, but Major League Baseball did not allow its players to participate. In the months leading up to the high-profile first World Baseball Classic in 2006, many commentators heralded it as a "Baseball World Cup", perhaps not realizing that a tournament of that description already existed and had for almost seventy years. However, the 2006 World Baseball Classic was the first international baseball tournament to include players from the major leagues, making it a closer equivalent to the world cups of other sports—which include players from the most prestigious professional leagues—than to the Baseball World Cup.

Tournament results

Year Final Host Final four Number of teams
Champions Runners-up 3rd place 4th place
1938
Details

Great Britain

Great Britain

United States
2
1939
Details

Cuba

Cuba

Nicaragua

United States
3
1940
Details

Cuba

Cuba

Nicaragua/

United States

Venezuela
7
1941
Details

Cuba

Venezuela

Cuba

Mexico

Panama
9
1942
Details

Cuba

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Venezuela

Mexico
5
1943
Details

Cuba

Cuba

Mexico

Dominican Republic

Panama
4
1944
Details

Venezuela

Venezuela

Mexico

Cuba

Panama
8
1945
Details

Venezuela

Venezuela

Colombia

Panama

Nicaragua
6
1947
Colombia

Colombia

Puerto Rico

Nicaragua

Mexico
9
1948
Nicaragua

Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico

Colombia

Mexico
8
1950
Details

Nicaragua

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Venezuela

Panama
12
1951
Details

Mexico

Puerto Rico

Venezuela

Cuba

Dominican Republic
11
1952
Cuba

Cuba

Dominican Republic

Puerto Rico

Panama
13
1953
Venezuela

Cuba

Venezuela

Nicaragua

Dominican Republic
11
1961
Costa Rica

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Panama
10
1965
Colombia

Colombia

Mexico

Puerto Rico

Panama
9
1969
Dominican Republic

Cuba

United States

Dominican Republic

Venezuela
11
1970
Colombia

Cuba

United States

Puerto Rico

Colombia
12
1971
Cuba

Cuba

Colombia

Nicaragua

Puerto Rico
10
1972
Details

Nicaragua

Cuba

United States

Nicaragua

Japan
16
1973
Cuba

Cuba

Puerto Rico

Venezuela

Dominican Republic
8
1973
Nicaragua

United States

Nicaragua

Puerto Rico

Colombia
11
1974
United States

United States

Nicaragua

Colombia

Dominican Republic
9
1976
Details

Colombia

Cuba

Puerto Rico

Japan

Nicaragua
11
1978
Details

Italy

Cuba

United States

South Korea

Japan
11
1980
Details

Japan

Cuba

South Korea

Japan

United States
12
1982
Details

South Korea

South Korea

Japan

United States

Chinese Taipei
10
1984
Details

Cuba

Cuba

Chinese Taipei

United States

Japan
13
1986
Details

Netherlands

Cuba

South Korea

Chinese Taipei

United States
12
1988
Details

Italy

Cuba

United States

Chinese Taipei

Japan
12
1990
Details

Canada

Cuba

Nicaragua

South Korea

Puerto Rico
12
1994
Details

Nicaragua

Cuba

South Korea

Japan

Nicaragua
16
1998
Details

Italy

Cuba

South Korea

Nicaragua

Italy
16
2001
Details

Taiwan

Cuba

United States

Chinese Taipei

Japan
16
2003
Details

Cuba

Cuba

Panama

Japan

Chinese Taipei
16
2005
Details

Netherlands

Cuba

South Korea

Panama

Netherlands
18
2007
Details

Taiwan

United States

Cuba

Japan

Netherlands
16
2009
Details

Italy

United States

Cuba

Canada

Puerto Rico
22
2011
Details

Panama

Netherlands

Cuba

Canada

United States
16

Medal table

Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Cuba 254231
2  United States 48315
3  Venezuela 3249
4  Colombia 2226
5  South Korea 1528
6  Puerto Rico 1449
7  Dominican Republic 1326
8  Great Britain 1001
8  Netherlands 1001
10  Nicaragua 05510
11  Mexico 0415
12  Japan 0156
13  Chinese Taipei 0134
14  Panama 0123
15  Canada 0022
Total394037116

See also

References

  1. "IBAF World Ranking Notes" (PDF). International Baseball Federation. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  2. "Singapore 2005: 2012 Olympic Sport Vote". International Olympic Committee. 11 July 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  3. The Congress approved a new format of International tournaments
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