For those who have been missing the World Baseball Classic and the drama of international baseball, I have good news: The road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics begins with the Premier12 Qualifiers in Barcelona on Friday.
Baseball will be back for the L.A. 2028 Olympic games -- the first time since 2020 in Tokyo -- and the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and the United States have already confirmed their places in the six-team field. (The U.S. automatically qualified as the host nation, while Venezuela and the D.R. qualified through the World Baseball Classic -- they were the top two WBSC Americas teams that weren't the USA.) That leaves three places left to be decided, with two of them coming from the Premier12 next year.
Let’s break down what’s coming up this week in Barcelona and what’s ahead.
What is the Premier12: While the World Baseball Classic is international baseball's world championship, the Premier12 is just as important, with a history that stretches back (with a few name changes) to the Amateur World Series in 1938.
Rechristened as the Premier12 in 2015, the tournament used to be for the top-12 nations as ranked by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). However, the field has expanded for this year’s tournament. The top 12 teams have gained automatic qualification for next year’s main tournament, while eight more teams split across two Qualifiers will earn the chance to play in next year’s 16-team tournament.
The top two teams from this week’s Barcelona Qualifier (Colombia, Spain, Italy and Germany) will join two teams from November's Zhongshan, China, Qualifier to complete the field.
Who has already qualified: Japan, Chinese Taipei, United States, South Korea, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Netherlands, Cuba, Australia and the Dominican Republic.
When: Oct. 9-11 in Barcelona. For those in the United States, set those alarms: The first pitch is at 6 a.m. The Zhongshan Qualifier will be from Nov. 26-28.
How to watch: For fans outside of Italy and Spain, games will be streamed on the WBSC YouTube channel. Packages are also available at Gametime. Keep your ears open for some friends, too. Famed international broadcaster Tyler Maun will be joined by the great Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline for the call.
Will MLB players be playing: No, players included on 40-man rosters are ineligible for the tournament. However, affiliated Minor Leaguers not on the 40-man can play.
TEAM PREVIEWS
COLOMBIA
WBSC Rank: 13
Most recent WBC performance: Won the 2025 WBC Tucson Qualifier; went 1-3 in ‘26 Classic
Former big leaguer Gio Urshela, who lined up for Colombia at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (2-for-7 with five walks), is back in uniform as the squad’s manager. He’s joined by fellow former big leaguers Dilson Herrera and Sugar Ray Marimon on the staff. While the team doesn’t have some of their big league stars who played at the World Baseball Classic in Jose Quintana and Michael Arroyo, the roster is arguably the deepest in Barcelona with loads of affiliated experience among them. (That includes Arroyo’s older brother, Carlos, who played in the Braves' system in 2025.)
Captain Jesus Marriaga, who was a star at the ‘25 Qualifiers (6-for-12, seven RBIs) lends a veteran presence in the outfield, while Giants prospect Jose Ramos and Guardians prospect Dayan Frias bring plenty of talent to the infield.
Luis Patiño, who was included as part of the deal to bring Blake Snell to the Padres and pitched 45 big league games, returns to the team and gets the ball for Game 1. David Lorduy, who pitched 3 1/3 shutout frames in the Classic this spring, brings killer stuff, but has trouble finding the strike zone.
There are a few young prospects worth keeping an eye on: Mariners 18-year-old prospect Diego Contreras posted an .887 OPS in the ACL this year, while Cardinals 20-year-old catcher Paulo Asprilla spent his second season in the FCL. In tournaments like this, managers often lean on their veteran ballplayers and use these opportunities to get the youngsters up to speed, so I wouldn’t expect to see too much from them this time around.
And here’s one you wouldn’t expect: Outfielder Jaider Morelos will be coming fresh from a championship. He won the Croatian league as a member of Nada Split. He hit .473 with four home runs during the 27-game regular season.
Player to watch: Dayan Frias
Though Frias struggled in Triple-A this year, he’s a true Colombian baseball lifer. His father coaches in Colombia, and he grew up training with Orlando Cabrera. He was 3-for-11 in the Classic in March.
Prediction: Colombia has too much baseball talent and experience at every position. It's ranked No. 13 in the world for a reason and advanced to the World Baseball Classic via the 2025 Qualifiers -- where it beat Germany, 10-0. This should be a sign of what’s to come. Colombia finishes first.
ITALY
WBSC Rank: 14
WBC performance: Reached the semifinals
It’s been a good year for Italian baseball. It rode a silver medal in the 2025 Euros to a remarkable semifinal finish at the World Baseball Classic, thanks, in part, to dugout espresso shots. Serie A’s Parma just won the European Baseball Champions League, the national team just won the Blind Baseball International Cup, and manager Francisco Cervelli now spends much of the year in the country, working on developing the program. They also prepared for this weekend by playing three exhibition games against Dominican Winter League teams, going 0-1 with two ties. Robinson Canó and Aníbal Sánchez, former big leaguers and friends of Cervelli’s, joined the team for its workouts.
Now, the only team out of these four to have previously appeared in the Premier12 (0-5 in 2015), Italy will be looking to build on the momentum and catapult itself back into the main tournament.
Italy is bringing a solid roster, with catcher Alberto Mineo, first baseman Renzo Martini and pitchers Matteo Bocchi (he gets the Game 1 nod), Claudio Scotti and Ettore Giulianelli among the leading players who are bringing Minor League and national team experience with them. Look out for Giulianelli’s screwball -- a rarity you don’t often see in the modern game.
The team also has the Blue Jays’ historic Minor League battery of Giacomo Taschin and Giaconino Lasaracina, bringing some talented youth to Barcelona. Be sure to keep an eye on former big leaguer Robel Garcia. After being released by Cleveland ahead of the 2014 season, he made his comeback to the game after playing for Bologna in Serie A. He’s now played in the Dominican, Korea, Mexico, the U.S. and Italy.
Player to Watch: Giaconino Lasaracina
Lasaracina has plenty of power, setting a Blue Jays system record for exit velocity in Dunedin this summer. His .865 OPS was the highest on the club for any player with at least 100 plate appearances. He was also a crucial part of Italy’s silver medal squad at the '25 Euros. He slashed .481/.516/1.185 with six home runs in the tournament.
Prediction: Italy and Spain are awfully tight, but I'll give the edge to Italy thanks to the great vibes in the national program over the last year. Will that actually make a difference on the field? Maybe not, but it's a good narrative to root for.
GERMANY
WBSC Rank: 17
WBC performance: Finished third at 2025 WBC Tucson Qualifier, did not qualify for ‘26 Classic
Germany comes in as likely underdogs. It finished fifth in the most recent Euros and failed to advance from the Tucson Qualifier after losing to Brazil in the second-place game. However, hopes are high for this team and its future. Multiple German prospects have signed with big league teams this season, pitcher Paul Hoff won the Brewers Short Season pitcher of the year award, and fellow Brewers catching prospect Yannic Walther advanced to High-A and put up the best offensive numbers of his Minor League career.
Walther, who was on the German roster at the WBC Qualifiers, is back with the national team, though don’t be surprised if he slots in mostly in the outfield, with manager Jendrick Speer opting to put veteran European catcher Vincent Ahrens behind the plate.
The team’s strength is its veteran pitching staff. Ace Markus Solbach, who reached Triple-A with the Dodgers, is still unhittable and will get the Game 1 start. At the Euros, he pitched 14 scoreless innings with 14 K's. He’ll be joined by Niklas Rimmel, Christian Pedrol -- who has also pitched for the Brazilian national team -- and veteran Duke Von Schamann.
Captain Eric Brenk is back at third base and hulking slugging first baseman Simon Baumer can absolutely crush the ball. Division I college players Tristan Russell and Luca Hoerger provide the youth.
Player to watch: Billy Germaine
A Canadian-born slugger, Germaine crushed the ball at the 2022 Qualifiers, hitting .417 with two home runs. He enters this tournament having led the DBL -- Germany’s baseball league -- with 14 home runs, four ahead of Baumer.
Prediction: With Colombia as the frontrunner, it's a three-team race for the second spot. Germany’s pitching should keep them in it, but it seems outmatched by Italy and Spain. A close fourth.
SPAIN
WBSC Rank: 26
WBC performance: Finished third at 2025 WBC Taipei Qualifier; did not qualify for ‘26 Classic
Spain has fallen just one win shy of advancing to the main World Baseball Classic tournament in each of the last qualification cycles. It’ll try to make up for that as the hosts in Barcelona. It has a special weapon, too. Team USA legend Adam Jones has been involved in Spain’s national setup since moving to Barcelona a few years ago and he’ll be in the dugout again.
Based on the preliminary roster that Spain released before its tuneup games against France, it's bringing one of its deepest rosters yet. Former Mets infielder Luis Guillorme is the biggest name on the roster, but he’s joined by national team veterans Wander Encarnacion (2023 European Baseball Championship MVP), Jesus Ustariz, Gabriel Lino, Edison Valerio, and the Hernández brothers.
Pablo Guillén, the winning pitcher in the 2023 European Championship final and who tossed six shutout innings in the ‘25 WBC Qualifier, should help lead the rotation. Cuban-born Elian Leyva, who reached Triple-A with the Braves and has also pitched in Cuba, Mexico, Italy, Taiwan and the Dominican, gets the ball for Game 1.
Though much of the roster is originally from Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, former Minor League arms Marc Civit and Peter Bonilla lead the native Barcelona-born part of the squad.
Player to Watch: Felix Stevens
The former Cubs prospect has plenty of pop for a team that features plenty of it. He put together a 20/20 season in just 84 games in the Frontier League this season.
Prediction: Spain brings a veteran roster loaded with plenty of power. If Colombia is the strongest in the group, then Spain will be fighting its European rivals for second place. Unfortunately, I think it will be another close call for the nation, which I predict will finish just behind Italy in third.