Cuba will come into the 2026 World Baseball Classic as one of the most successful nations in the event’s history, reaching the finals in the first edition of the tournament in 2006 and the semifinal round in 2023. Having advanced from group play in all five previous Classics, Cuba now faces the challenge of trying to keep that streak alive with a mix of experienced talent on the international stage – including some names familiar to MLB fans – and players whose exploits have been mostly limited to the local Serie Nacional.
Managed by Germán Mesa, who was the club’s bench coach in 2023, Team Cuba will face stiff competition in Puerto Rico’s Pool A against the host territory’s team, as well as Panama, Colombia and Canada at Estadio Hiram Bithorn.
2023 WBC performance
After losing its first two games against the Netherlands and Italy in Pool A at Taichung, Taiwan, Cuba rallied for impressive wins over Panama and Chinese Taipei by a combined score of 20-5. Cuba won the group on tiebreakers – every team in the pool finished with a 2-2 mark – and moved on to the quarterfinals.
In their quarterfinal matchup against Australia at Miami’s loanDepot park, Team Cuba won a tight 4-3 contest over Australia with key offensive contributions from Yoán Moncada, Alfredo Despaigne and Luis Robert Jr. On the mound, starter Yariel Rodríguez set the tone with 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball as Cuba advanced to the semifinals.
In their semifinal game, Cuba bowed out of the tournament with a 14-2 loss to a United States club stacked with Major League talent.
2026 WBC schedule
Cuba will begin group play on March 6 in Puerto Rico vs. Panama, followed by matchups with Colombia on March 8, Puerto Rico on March 9 and Canada on March 10.
Best WBC performance
The most memorable World Baseball Classic for Cuba was the first one, in 2006. That year, the club managed by Higinio Velez reached the championship game, losing to Japan, 10-6. Team Cuba was led some of the nation’s biggest local stars to date, from Yuli Gurriel, Frederich Cepeda, Alexei Ramírez, Eduardo Paret and Ariel Pestano at the plate to Pedro Luis Lazo (the team’s pitching coach this year), Ormari Romero and Yadel Martí on the mound.
Biggest games in country history
Before the World Baseball Classic and the inclusion of top professional talent in international competition, Cuba had sustained success in amateur events such as the Olympics, the Baseball World Cup and the Pan American Games. But when it comes to the 21st century and the World Baseball Classic, the biggest win in Cuba’s history would certainly be its victory over the Dominican Republic in the semifinal round in 2006.
At San Diego’s Petco Park that year, Cuba came out on top by a score of 3-1, defeating a Dominican club with two current Hall of Famers – David Ortiz and Adrián Beltré – in addition to Team Dominican’s current manager, Albert Pujols, who is almost certainly bound for Cooperstown in 2028. In that game, Martí and Lazo combined to scatter eight hits while giving up just one unearned run against the powerful Dominican squad.
Minor League prospects on the team
The most notable prospect for Team Cuba is Mets minor league left-hander Daviel Hurtado, 21, who registered a combined 2.06 ERA between the Florida Complex League and Low A Port St. Lucie last season.
Story to watch
Cuba will have more than one proven pitcher in World Baseball Classic play and will be looking to those arms to keep them in games. Those hurlers include Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodríguez, (2.45 ERA, 10 K's in 7 1/3 innings in the 2023 tournament), Luis Romero (2.08, 13 K's in 8 2/3) and Liván Moinelo (4 1/3 scoreless). In particular, Moinelo has made a name for himself on the international stage as a premier reliever for Fukoka Softbank Hawks and reigning MVP of Japan’s Pacific League, registering ERAs of 1.85 and 1.46 in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Questions ahead of upcoming tournament
One question for Team Cuba will be how their remaining veterans will perform on a club that will be without key players from 2023 such as Luis Robert Jr., Yoenis Céspedes and Andy Ibáñez.
Alfredo Despaigne, 39, is the tournament’s all-time leader in home runs with seven, but did not clear the fences in 2023, which was the last year of his long stint in Japan and a year before his last season in the Serie Nacional in Cuba.
Alexei Ramírez, 44, last played in the Major Leagues in 2016 for the Padres and Rays, after eight years with the White Sox. His last season in professional ball was in 2018 in Mexico, although he’s coming off a 15 home-run season while hitting .339/.475/.607 in 57 games for Pinar del Río in the Serie Nacional in 2025-26.
And Moncada, 30, is coming off three injury-plagued seasons with the White Sox and Angels, although he was a key contributor for Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic with a .435/.519/.739 slash line.