2019 International Baseball Schedule

Every year, Extra Innings publishes a list of all international baseball fixtures. This list evolves over the year as most international baseball events beyond the top tournaments are planned less than six months in advance. This was never more true than 2018 [link], a banner year for international baseball, with a far-above-average number of friendlies, the world’s first Under-10 sporting competition, and the usual spate of continental championships and age-level tournaments.

This year, baseball prepares for its return to the Olympics in Tokyo next year with a series of qualifications, including plans for the biggest qualification tournament for Africa in history. Africa has not had intracontinental games since 2007, but five pre-Olympic qualifiers and a continental championship are planned.

Multiple top-tier tournaments will be contested this year, including the second-most important in terms of ranking point. Preeminent is the Premier 12, which will take place in various Asian countries in November. The top finishers from the Americas and Asia and Oceania (provided the team from the latter two regions is in the top six) will qualify for the Olympics. The Under-18 World Cup will be hosted by South Korea in August, while the Southeast Asian Games will bring back baseball for the first time in three editions when it is hosted by the Philippines in the year’s final weeks.

Four continents will contest continental championships, with Olympic spots up for grabs. First is the aforementioned African Championship, which qualifies a winner to the Europe-Africa tournament. The Asian Baseball Championship will take place in Taiwan in November, while Europe will crown its champion in Germany in September, with the top five teams heading to the Europe-Africa Olympic Qualifier. The Pan-American Games will serve as a de facto Americas Championship, but will not offer Olympic places, likely in part because the US decided not to compete.

Although this calendar is devoted solely to national-level competition, we include here MLB’s four series taking place abroad, including returns to Tokyo and Mexico, plus its first MLB game ever in Europe, the MLB London Series. We will be live from the London Series and events surrounding it, with other tournaments with live coverage likely to include the European Under-18 Championship pool in Miejska Gorka and the Europe-Africa Olympic Qualifier in Italy.

Yet to be announced is Team USA’s schedule and any COPABE, COCABE, or South American events. Having spoken to various federations, no one is entirely sure whether there will be any events, though this is not the year for the Central American Games (next edition in 2021), the Central American and Caribbean Games (2022), or the Bolivarian Games (2021). No baseball will be played at the Pacific Games or FISU Summer Universiade, events that often do feature the sport.

Finally, a few notes about the calendar. As usual, Europe is the continent with the most events, while for once, Africa does not bring up the rear (though Oceania is usually neck-to-neck with zero!). There are, by far, more senior national team events Some events are slotted in for a certain time frame without specific dates. For those, we include them under the month scheduled. For several, we are unsure whether they will be contested, with notes to that effect. This year, we have not included Little League or PONY events as it more than doubles the list. We will update this calendar as more tournaments emerge and results come in. Please let us know if you are aware of any international baseball events not listed here.

January
5                      Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise
20-24               Argentina & Brazil Friendly Series (Ibiúna, Brazil) [Brazil 4, Argentina 0] [Wrap]
22-27               U18 Oceania World Cup Qualifier (Guam) [Teams: American Samoa, Australia, Guam, New Zealand, Palau, Samoa] [Champions: Australia] [Wrap]
29-Feb 3           Pan-American Games Qualifer (São Paulo & Ibiúna, Brazil) [Champions: Dominican Republic] [Wrap]

February
7-13                 Hong Kong – Guam U15 Exchange Programme (Guam, USA)
9-19                 Hong Kong – México U12 Exchange Programme (Mazatlán, México)
11-18               French National Team Training Camp (Tenerife, Spain) [Link]
15-17               Serie Internacional Copa Amistad (San Salvador, El Salvador) [Cuba vs. El Salvador League All-Stars] [Cuba 2, El Salvador 1] *First win ever for El Salvador over Cuba
17-23              German National Team Training Camp (Tenerife, Spain) [Link]
25-Mar. 1         MLB Cadet Camp (Valencia, Spain)

March
7-10                Academies Tournament (Bilbao, Spain) [France, Regensburg, Bilbao]
7-10                Academies Tournament (Saint Boi, Spain) [Sweden, Saint Boi]
8-10                Catalunya Baseball Week (Sant Boi, Spain)
9-10                Samurai Series: México vs. Japan (Osaka, Japan) [México 1-1, Japan 1-1]
11-21               Czech National Team Training Camp (Arizona, USA) [Link]
15-17               Puerto Rico vs. Nicaragua International Series (Managua, Nicaragua) [Website] [Nicaragua 2, Puerto Rico 1]
20-21               MLB: Mariners-Athletics (Tokyo, Japan)
21-25               West Africa [Zone II] Pre-Olympic Qualifier (Port Harcourt, Nigeria) [Invited nations: Cameroon, Dem. Rep. of Congo, Nigeria, Tunisia] [Preview]
22-24               West Africa [Zone I] Pre-Olympic Qualifier (Accra, Ghana) [Invited nations: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo] [Preview]
22-24               West Africa Pre-Olympic Qualifier (Accra, Ghana) [Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Tunisia] [Preview] [Detailed Preview of Teams] [Champions: Burkina Faso]
23-24              Italy U15 Training Camp (Rome, Italy) [Roster]

April
5-7                   East Africa Pre-Olympic Qualifier (Nairobi, Kenya) [Invited nations: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia] [Preview] [Champion: Uganda]
13-14               MLB: Reds-Cardinals (México)
mid-April      Academies Tournament (Barcelona, Spain) [France, Barcelona]
22-26               MLB Cadet Camp (Toulouse, France) [Link]
23-26               South Africa Pre-Olympic Qualifier (Johannesburg, South Africa) [Invited nations: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe] [Preview] [Champions: South Africa]

May
1                      Danube Cup [Austria U23, Hungary U18, Slovakia] [Champions: Austria U23]
1-5                   Africa Championship, winner qualifies for Europe-Africa Olympic Qualifier (Johannesburg, South Africa) [Winners of East, South, and West Pre-Olympic Qualifiers plus West runner-up] [Preview] [Champions: South Africa]
4-5                   MLB: Angels-Astros (México)
17-25               Canada JNT Tour (Dominican Republic)
24-26               Swiss Alpine Cup [Website] [NT: Switzerland, Switzerland U23] [Champions: Switzerland]
27-31              MLB Cadet Camp (Slough, UK)

June
7-10                 Finkstonball (Attnang-Puchheim, Austria) [Website] [Austrian U23 NT] [Champions X-Presidents]
25-27              MLB Elite Tournament (Slough, UK)
25-29               Prague Baseball Week (Prague, Czech Republic) [Website] [NT: Belarus, Czech Republic U23, Poland, Russia] [Champions: Future Stars]
25-29               U8 Pan-American Championship (Mazatlán, México) [Reddit] [NT: Costa Rica, D.R., Honduras, México Rojo, México Verde] [Champions: México Verde]
25-July 1         Grand Forks International (Grand Forks, B.C.) [Website] [NT: None]
29-30               MLB London Series (London, UK) [Red Sox-Yankees]

July
1-7                   European U12 and U12 Qualifier (Třebíč, Czech Republic) [Group A1: Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands; Group A2: Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Russia] [Champions: Italy]
1-7                   U12 Qualifier (Třebíč, Czech Republic) Group B1: Austria, Poland, Ukraine; Group B2: Great Britain, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia] [Champions: Slovakia]
1-7                   European Seniors B-Pool (Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria) [Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Russia, Serbia] [Champions: Israel]
2-6                   European Seniors B-Pool (Trnava, Slovakia) [Group A: Finland, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine; Group B: Belarus, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia] [Champions: Lithuania]
8-13                 European U18 Qualifier: Pool 1 (Sundbyberg, Sweden) [Belgium, Great Britain, Israel, Switzerland, Sweden] [Champions: Israel]
8-13                 European U18 Qualifier: Pool 2 (Miejska Gorka, Poland) [Austria, Hungary, Russia, Poland, Slovenia, Ukraine) [Champions: Austria]
12-21               World Port Tournament (Rotterdam, Netherlands) [Website] [Champions: Netherlands]
14-21               International Baseball Challenge (Whiting, Ind.) [Website] [Cancelled]
15-20                West Asia Baseball Cup, (Diyagama, Sri Lanka) [Champions: Sri Lanka]
16-20               European U15 Championship (Nettuno, Italy) [Group A: France, Germany, Italy, Russia; Group B: Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Slovakia] [Champions: Germany]
26-28               European B-Pool Playoffs: Lithuania vs. Israel (Utena, Lithuania) [Champions: Israel]
26-Aug. 4         U12 Baseball World Cup (Tainan, Taiwan)
26-Aug. 11       Pan-American Games (Perú) [Argentina, Canada, Colómbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Perú, and Puerto Rico]
31-Aug. 4         European Women’s Baseball Championship (Rouen, France) [Czech Republic, France, Netherlands]
TBD                Taiwan-USA Collegiate Series

August
7-11                 European U23 Championship (Prague, Czech Republic) [Group A: France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands; Group B: Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ukraine]
18-25              Americas Women’s Baseball Championship (Aguascalientes, México)
TBD                Asian U15 Championship (Shenzhen, China)
TBD                Under-18 World Cup (Gijang, South Korea)
TBD                Nicaragua Friendly Series (Opponent TBD pending Pan-American Games outcome)
28-Sep. 1        Yoshida Challenge (various sites in France) [France 1 – Japanese Industrial Leagues All-Star Team 4]

September
1-4                   Italy vs. Spain Exhibition Series (Sant Boi and Viladecans, Spain)
7-14                 U12 Pan-American Championship (Medellín, Colómbia) [Argentina, Brazil, Colómbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras; Champion: Colómbia]
7-15                 European Championship (Bonn & Solingen, Germany) [Website] [Group A: Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Playoffs Winner; Group B: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Italy, Spain]
13-23              U15 Pan-American Championship (Playa del Carmén, México)
TBD                France-South Africa Series (France) [Postponed]
18-22              Europe-Africa Olympic Qualifier (Parma & Bologna, Italy) [Czech Republic, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain]
20-29              Women’s Pan-American Championship (Venezuela)

October
14-20              Asian Baseball Championship (Taiwan)
30-Nov. 3       World Comes to Palm Beaches Tournament (Palm Beaches, Fla.)
TBD                Japan-Vietnam Baseball Association Tournament (unconfirmed)
26-27              Giants of Latin America (Puebla, Mexico) [Venezuela vs. Mexico]
30-Nov. 17     Professional Dream Baseball Cup (Huelva and Cádiz, Spain) [Preview]
31-Nov. 1       Premier 12 Friendlies: Canada at Japan

November
2                    Premier 12 Friendlies: Cuba at Taiwan
3                    Premier 12 Friendlies: Australia at Taiwan
2-17               Premier 12 (México, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan)
9-15               Asian Women’s Baseball Cup (Zhongshan, China)
30-Dec. 11      2019 Southeast Asian Games (Philippines)
TBD                Curaçao Baseball Week (Curaçao)

December
19-22              I Haitian Baseball Cup (Ouanaminthe, Haiti) [Teams from Canada, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Haiti]
30-Jan. 3        U23 Oceania Baseball Championship (New Zealand)
TBD                U23 Pan-American Championship (Panamá)
TBD                Hong Kong International Baseball Open [Hong Kong, Singapore]

Baseball5 [More on baseball5 here]
April 18-20      Americas Open (Colómbia)
July 7               International Tournament, U15 and Open categories (Barcelona) [link]
Sept. 6-8          I U18 Mediterranean Open [link]

Notes
The Balkan Baseball Cup is normally held every year but did not take place in 2019.

By Continental Association [No. of Events], listed in chronological order
ABSA (Africa) [5]: West Africa I, West Africa II, East Africa, and South Africa Pre-Olympic Qualifiers; Africa Championship

BCO (Oceania) [1]: U18 Oceania World Cup Qualifier

BFA (Asia) [7]: West Asia Baseball Cup, Asian U15 Championship, Asian Women’s Baseball Cup, Asian Baseball Championship, 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Hong Kong International Baseball Open

CEB (Europe) [16]: Catalunya Baseball Week, MLB Cadet Camp, Danube Cup, Swiss Alpine Cup, Finkstonball, Prague Baseball Week, European U12 Championship and U12 Qualifier, European Seniors B-Pools, European U18 Qualifiers, European U15 Championship, European B-Pool Playoffs, European Women’s Baseball Championship, European U23 Championship, European Championship 16

COPABE (Americas) [13]: Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise, Argentina & Brazil Friendly Series, Pan-American Games Qualifer, Puerto Rico vs. Nicaragua International Series, Canada JNT Tour, Pan-American Games, Nicaragua Friendly Series, Curaçao Baseball Week, Americas Women’s Baseball Championship, U15 Pan-American Championship, U23 Pan-American Championship, U8 Pan-American Championship, U12 Pan-American Championship

Global [11]: Hong Kong – Guam U15 Exchange Programme, Hong Kong – México U12 Exchange Programme, Samurai Series, World Port Tournament, Taiwan-USA Collegiate Series, Under-18 World Cup, France-South Africa Series, Europe-Africa Olympic Qualifier, World Comes to Palm Beaches Tournament, Premier 12, U12 Baseball World Cup

By Age Level [No. of Events], listed in chronological order
U8 [1]: U8 Pan-American Championship 

U12 [3.75]: European U12 and U12 Qualifier, World Comes to Palm Beaches Tournament [four age levels], Curaçao Baseball Week [mixed], U12 Baseball World Cup, U12 Pan-American Championship

U15 [4.75]: Catalunya Baseball Week, European U15 Championship, Asian U15 Championship, World Comes to Palm Beaches Tournament, Curaçao Baseball Week [mixed], U15 Pan-American Championship

U18 [5.25]: U18 Oceania World Cup Qualifier, MLB Cadet Camp, Canada JNT Tour, European U18 Qualifiers, Under-18 World Cup, World Comes to Palm Beaches Tournament

U23 [3.75]: Swiss Alpine Cup [Mixed Senior and U23], Taiwan-USA Collegiate Series, European U23 Championship, World Comes to Palm Beaches Tournament, U23 Pan-American Championship

Senior [23.75]: Argentina & Brazil Friendly Series, Pan-American Games Qualifer, Samurai Series, Puerto Rico vs. Nicaragua International Series, West Africa I, West Africa II, East Africa, and South Africa Pre-Olympic Qualifiers; West Asia Baseball Cup, Africa Championship, Danube Cup, Swiss Alpine Cup, Finkstonball, Prague Baseball Week, European Seniors B-Pools, World Port Tournament, European B-Pool Playoffs, Pan-American Games, Nicaragua Friendly Series, European Championship, France-South Africa Series, Europe-Africa Olympic Qualifier, World Comes to Palm Beaches Tournament, Premier 12, Asian Baseball Championship, 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Hong Kong International Baseball Open

Women [4]: European Women’s Baseball Championship, Americas Women’s Baseball Championship, Asian Women’s Baseball Cup, Women’s Pan-American Championship

Other [1]: Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise