And so begins Pool A.
Team Cuba, an island nation with historically great success in international play, will face off against Panama – a Central American country that calls baseball its No. 1 sport.
Panama has improved greatly in international play over the past decade, while Cuba has been a bit more up and down (although they did make it to the semifinals on the 2023 Classic). Livan Moinelo, the reigning NPB MVP, will be a tough matchup for Panama hitters – although they have more big league pop than in the past with José Caballero, Johan Camargo and Edmundo Sosa.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
2026 World Baseball Classic
• How to watch games live
• Scores and schedule
• Standings and tiebreakers
• Tickets and venues
• Rosters
• Players by MLB team
• Complete coverage
When and where: Friday, 11 a.m. ET at Hiram Bithorn Stadium
How you can watch:
Cuba vs. Panama is available on FS2.
The FOX Sports family of networks (FOX, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes), the FOX Sports App and Tubi will combine to air all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic in the United States, and all matchups will be available to stream live and on-demand on FOX One. Additionally, 41 out of the 47 contests will air in Spanish across a combination of FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App, Tubi and FOX One.
Netflix Japan will stream all tournament games in Japanese.
Click here for viewing options in other countries and territories.
How you can listen: There is a free English-language audio stream available for every game.
Probable starting pitchers: Livan Moinelo (Cuba) vs. Logan Allen (Panama)
What’s at stake: This is likely one of the most balanced pools of the four, so even though this is just the first game for these teams, every win matters.
Matchup history: Cuba and Panama are familiar foes in World Baseball Classic play. Cuba took down Panama in a tight 11-inning first-round matchup in the 2006 iteration, 8-6. Then, in 2023 in Taiwan, Cuba blew away Panama, 13-4, in group play. Many of the players on these rosters know one another (Panama’s Paolo Espino even goes way back to that ‘06 contest!), so there could be some strategy going into this one.