The World Baseball Classic hasn’t officially begun, but the countries have begun playing friendly competitions against MLB teams in spring training. This means that the tournament is just a couple of days away from getting going. While every game should be so fun to watch, given the talent on display, there are some pool play games worth prioritizing over others. Let’s dive in.

Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela

• Date: Wednesday, March 11
• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Miami, Florida

If the WBC’s goal was to keep star-studded matchups out of pool play, it failed, as two of the three or four best teams in the tournament are in Pool D, and will face off in the first round in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. These teams are loaded with MLB star power, particularly in the outfield.

For the Dominican Republic, their projected starting outfield consists of Juan Soto, Julio Rodriguez and Fernando Tatis Jr. from left to right. As for Venezuela, they’ll have Wilyer Abreu, Jackson Chourio and Ronald Acuña Jr. There’s a very high probability that five or even all six of these outfielders will be All-Stars in 2026, and this is only the outfield we’re talking about.

The DR has star power everywhere you turn, from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Ketel in its infield to Abner Uribe and Carlos Estevez in the bullpen to Cristopher Sanchez in the starting rotation. The same can be said for Venezuela too, with Eugenio Suarez and Maikel Garcia in the infield, Daniel Palencia and Eduard Bazardo in the bullpen, and Ranger Suarez leading the rotation.

The Dominicans are going to be favored to win this game and quite possibly the whole tournament, but Venezuela can’t be slept on. This game might not determine who advances to the elimination rounds, as both clubs should advance with relative ease, but it could play a role in seeding, which is important. Even if isn’t an elimination game, the sheer talent on the field makes this arguably the most must-see game in pool play.

Mexico vs. USA

• Date: Monday, March 9
• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Houston, Texas

All eyes will be on Team USA in this tournament, as the Americans are fielding their best roster ever by a wide margin. The USA has always had a stout lineup in the WBC, but this year, its pitching staff is well above and beyond where it’s ever been, with the likes of Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal leading the way. Speaking of Skenes, he’s expected to get the ball against Team Mexico in the USA’s third game of the tournament against Mexico.

Now, any time Skenes pitches, it’s must-see TV. Seeing Skenes pitch with essentially an All-Star team behind him against another semi-All-Star team is even more must-watch. We know how fun this USA team is, but Mexico is a dark horse to win the WBC. With All-Stars like Alejandro Kirk, Jonathan Aranda, Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran in the mix, Mexico can score in bunches, and could even compete with the USA at the top of the Pool C standings.

The USA will be favored to win this game, and having Skenes pitch makes that result more likely, but I expect this contest to be closer than many might expect, which always makes it more interesting.

Canada vs. Puerto Rico

• Date: Tuesday, March 10
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Pool A is the weakest of the four pools, and there’s a good chance that one of Canada or Puerto Rico will be the victor to come from that group. Given that, the game these two teams play has to be must-see TV, right?

Are either of these teams going to win the whole tournament? Probably not, but given the stakes and the talent that’ll be on display, this should be a fascinating game. Canada is led by exciting players like Josh Naylor, Tyler O’Neill and top prospect Owen Caissie, and while Puerto Rico’s roster isn’t nearly as impressive as it’s been in years past (mostly for reasons out of its control), they have an electric bullpen and a roster chock full of MLB regulars.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this game is that it’ll be played in San Juan in front of very passionate fans who love their Puerto Rican squad. The atmosphere should be electric, the stakes will be high, and the talent shouldn’t be overlooked either.

Italy vs. Mexico

• Date: Wednesday, March 11
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Houston, Texas

Team USA is favored to win Pool B, but both Italy and Mexico won’t go down easily. Even if USA wins the group, there’s a good chance that the Italy vs. Mexico matchup, which happens to be the last one of Pool B pool play, will determine which team advances to the next round and which team’s run ends earlier than it had hoped.

High stakes make any matchup a fun one, and as is the case above, the talent really shouldn’t be slept on either. I’ve already been over how good this Mexico team is, but Italy is another underrated club worth paying attention to. With a lineup that includes Vinnie Pasquantino, Jakob Marsee, Jac Caglianone and Kyle Teel, and a rotation headlined by Aaron Nola and Michael Lorenzen, Italy can absolutely win some games.

Even though I doubt either of these teams win the whole thing, these are two fairly evenly matched clubs facing off in a game that could have serious stakes.

Great Britain vs. USA

• Date: Saturday, March 7
• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Houston, Texas

Now, this game could conceivably get out of hand rather quickly. Team USA is one of, if not the favorites to win the WBC, while it’d be surprising if Great Britain won more than one game in the tournament. There are still a couple of reasons why this game should be worth watching, though.

First, Jazz Chisholm Jr., representing Great Britain, is an electric player. His combination of power and speed makes him special, and he plays the game in a way that gravitates towards high-stakes competitions like the WBC. Second, and perhaps more importantly, this is Tarik Skubal’s only start for Team USA in this tournament.

Skubal, the best pitcher on the planet, agreed to make one start for the USA, but no more, even if they advance to the Finals. We’ve seen Skubal pitch in the playoffs before, and that’s always a treat. Watching him at the WBC, with a superteam behind him, might be even better. Baseball fans should enjoy it while they can, because this is their only chance they’ll get to watch him at this year’s WBC.

Czechia vs. Japan

• Date: Wednesday, March 11
• Time: 5:00 a.m. ET
• Location: Tokyo, Japan

USA vs. Great Britain might get out of hand early, but Japan vs. Czechia might be an even bigger mismatch. I mean, at least Great Britain has Chisholm and some other MLB players – Czechia has virtually no MLB talent to speak of, and has to face off against the defending champions. We saw Japan defeat Czechia 10-2 in the 2023 WBC.

That game, while the score was lopsided, brought out one of the most electric moments of the tournament when Ondrej Satoria, an electrical engineer, struck out Shohei Ohtani. Yes, an electric engineer struck out one of the greatest players in MLB history. Now, we don’t know whether we’ll see a rematch of that particular matchup, but the fact that these two teams are playing suggests it is a possibility.

Even if it doesn’t end up happening, it’s always fun to watch an underdog, and any game featuring Ohtani and that loaded Japan team is must-see TV. The start time might be an issue, but what’s better than baseball in bed!

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