PHOENIX — Chase Field has been chosen as a host site for the opening round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic next March.
The tournament is scheduled to take place March 8-21, with first-round games in downtown Phoenix taking place on March 11-15.
For the first time, the field of teams has been expanded to 20, including the defending champion Team USA.
The Pool C games at Chase Field will feature the United States, Canada, Mexico Colombia and a winner from a qualifier to be played this September.
The stadium has hosted the first round of the 2006 and 2013 tournaments. Chase Field was set to host in 2021 before the tournament's cancellation.
The other first-round sites include Miami, Florida; Tokyo, Japan; and Taichung, Taiwan. The championship games will be played in Miami.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.
Sports
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