Can Israel bounce back from a difficult 2023 Classic? 

With a roster made up almost entirely of American Jewish players, this will be Team Israel’s third World Baseball Classic appearance. Israel narrowly missed out on qualifying in 2012, for the third WBC held in 2013, but then did qualify in 2016 in time to play in 2017.

Team Israel had a magical ride in that WBC, going 3-0 with wins against South Korea, Chinese Taipei and the Netherlands to advance. A win against Cuba to open the next round gave a glimmer of hope of a run to the finals, but the magic ran out against the Netherlands and Japan.

This year’s Israel squad will be similar to previous ones, with a healthy mix of big leaguers and Minor Leaguers being asked to take on international juggernauts like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

2023 WBC Performance

Playing in Pool D in Miami, gently known as the “Pool of Death,” Israel had to play Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. They went 1-3, beating only Nicaragua, 3-1, in their opener. They then lost to the other three teams by a combined score of 25-1.

2026 WBC schedule

Pool D: Miami

Saturday, March 7: @ Venezuela, 7 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 8: vs. Nicaragua, 7 p.m. ET
Monday, March 9: vs. Dominican Republic, 12 p.m. ET
Tuesday, March 10: @ Netherlands, 7 p.m. ET

Best WBC performance

2023: Dean Kremer: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K vs. Nicaragua

2017: Josh Zeid: 4 G, 10 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 6 BB, 10 K

2017: Ryan Lavarnway: 6 G, .444/.565/.722, 1 HR, 6 RBI

Biggest games in country history

Team Israel had two huge wins in the 2017 World Baseball Classic that made them one of the Cinderella stories of that tournament. The first came in Game 1 of Pool A play. With zero expectations, Israel beat the hosts, South Korea, in a 2-1 nailbiter that set the stage for them to sweep the pool. From there, the team moved on to the quarterfinals in Japan and beat Cuba, 4-1, to extend its record in that WBC to 4-0 before losses to the Netherlands and Japan bounced them from the tournament.

On the Olympic stage in Tokyo, for the delayed 2020 Games, Israel managed to beat Mexico, 12-5, in the knockout stage.

Notable MLB Players

Harrison Bader, OF, Giants
Spencer Horwitz, 1B, Pirates
Dean Kremer, RHP, Orioles
Garrett Stubbs, C, Phillies

Kremer, whose parents are Israeli and at one point was the only player on this squad to hold an Israeli passport, has more WBC experience than any Team Israel player. He was on the roster back in 2017 as a prospect, then was the squad’s best pitcher in 2023. Offensively, Bader and Horwitz have professional hitter bona fides.

Minor League prospects on the team

Cole Carrigg
Harrison Cohen
Jake Gelof

Ever since Zack Gelof played in the last WBC, there was hope the Brothers Gelof would play together. While Zack won't play this year, Jake was the Dodgers’ second-round pick in 2023 and hit 16 homers in High-A in 2025. Cohen is a Yankees relief prospect who could provide much-needed stability to Israel’s bullpen.

Story to watch

Can they win more than one? Most realistic Team Israel fans are circling the Nicaragua game as the one they must win (and with a win, they qualify for the next WBC). Finding a win against Venezuela, the Dominican Republic or the Netherlands might seem like a tall task, though they did catch the team from Holland napping in pool play back in 2017.

Questions ahead of Upcoming Tournament

It’s always going to be about pitching. Israel has one legitimate big league starter in Kremer, who threw extremely well in the last WBC. But for them to have a chance to make any noise, some of the other lesser-known arms are going to have to step up to set down the giants in this pool.