At least one player from each of the 12 NPB teams will be participating in this WBC.

Many players currently on NPB teams will be competing in the 2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC, which will be held in March. In this article, we will introduce the number of players and staff from the 12 NPB teams participating in the WBC, as well as the number of times each player has participated in the WBC main tournament (excluding tournaments in which they only participated in the qualifying rounds).

Fukuoka Softbank...9 people

Livan Moinello pitcher (Cuba/3)
Alexander Armenta pitcher (Mexico / 1)
​Jeter Downs (Nicaragua / 1)
Xu Wakxi pitcher（Chinese Taipei/1)
Chun-Wei Chang pitcher (Chinese Taipei/1)
Taisei Makihara Athletes (2)
Ukyo Shuto Athletes (2)
Kensuke Kondo Player (2)
Yuki Matsumoto pitcher (1)

The Hawks Nine players, the most of any of the 12 teams, were selected from the NPB's top 12 teams, including Moinello pitcher, one of the NPB's best left-handers, who is making his third consecutive appearance in the tournament following 2017 and 2023 and was also selected to the Premier 12 in 2015, 2019, and 2024. Downs is originally from Colombia, but will lead the team in its first WBC appearance as a representative of Nicaragua, his father's native country.

Armenta pitcher, a 21-year-old fast left fielder, was selected as a member of the first-team squad in this year's camp despite being on a developmental contract, and will he be able to further make his presence felt in his first WBC appearance? Newcomer Xu Wakanxi pitcher is the mainstay pitcher of the Chinese Taipei national team and will be making his first big appearance with Chun-Wei Chang pitcher, who is in his second year with the team.

The experience of Makihara, Shuto, and Kondo, who know the taste of victory, should also be useful for this year's Samurai Japan, and Yutaka Matsumoto pitcher, making his first appearance, is also expected to play a full part as a valuable reliever.

Chunichi...6 people

Humberto Mejia pitcher（Panama/2)
Alberto Abreu pitcher（Dominican Republic/1)
Randy Martinez pitcher（Cuba / 1)
Christian Rodriguez (Cuba / 1)
Hiroto Takahashi pitcher（2)
Yuto Kanamaru pitcher (1)

Mejia pitcher is making his second consecutive appearance in the tournament following 2023. In the last tournament, he started the first game and pitched 2 inning to no runs closer, and in two games he pitched 4 inning to ERA 0.00, a brilliant pitch. Both are making their first appearances in the WBC, Martinez pitcher is 22 years old and Rodriguez is 23, both are still young, and it will be interesting to see if they can make an impact as gems for the future of the Cuban national team.

Alberto Abreu pitcher played for Saitama Seibu Lions in 2024 under the registered name "Albert Abreu" and joined Chunichi this season after playing in U.S. baseball, and we hope he will make his presence felt in the Dominican Republic's national team, which is full of MLB stars, using his experience gained in the U.S. and Japan.

Hiroto Takahashi pitcher contributed to the championship in the last tournament at the young age of 20, including an unearned closer appearance in the final as a reliever runs. Together with Muto Kanamaru pitcher, who will be making his first appearance in his second year as a professional player, we hope to see him mature even more and show the world how much he has improved.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham...5 people

Ariel Martinez (Cuba/2)
Ruei-Yang Gu Lin pitcher (Chinese Taipei/1)
Yi-Lei Sun pitcher (Chinese Taipei/1)
Hiromi Ito pitcher（2）
Koki Kitayama pitcher (1)

Martinez was selected to represent Cuba following the 2023 WBC and the 2019 and 2024 Premier 12. Last time, he grabbed a regular spot in the catcher midway through the tournament and helped the team advance to the last four. Chinese Taipei's ace Ruei-Yang Gu Lin pitcher and fast-growing right-hander Yi-Lei Sun pitcher are also expected to be the mainstays of the pitcher squad, despite both making their first appearances.

Ito pitcher, who contributed to the victory in the last tournament and the Tokyo Olympics as a reliever, and Kitayama pitcher, who is making his first appearance in the WBC, will also be looking to build on their breakthrough season with even better results.

Orix Buffaloes: 4 people

pitcher Andres Machado (Venezuela/2)
pitcher Hiroya Miyagi (2)
pitcher Ryuhei Sotani (1)
Kenya Wakatsuki (1)

pitcher will be participating in his second consecutive tournament, following his first appearance in 2023. In the last tournament, he pitched against Puerto Rico, giving up four runs in one-third of an inning, so will he be able to use his two years of experience in Pacific League to get revenge? pitcher only pitched in one game in the last tournament, so we're looking forward to seeing him perform even better alongside first-time pitcher Soya and Wakatsuki.

Hanshin Tigers...4 people

Interpreter: Ito Vittor (Brazil/1)
Seishiro Sakamoto (1)
Teruaki Sato (1)
Shota Morishita (1)

Ito Vittler played for Nippon Life, a prestigious amateur baseball team, until 2022, and also played for the Brazilian national team in the WBC qualifiers in 2016 and 2022. He currently serves as an interpreter for Hanshin Tigers Tigers, and as short stop for the Brazilian national team, he made a significant contribution to the team's success in qualifying for the WBC last year.

Sakamoto, Sato Teru, and Morishita, who contributed to two league championships, are all making their first appearance in the WBC. Will they be able to replicate their success with Hanshin with Samurai Hanshin Tigers and lead the team to the top on the international stage?

Saitama Seibu Lions...3 people

Bo Takahashi pitcher (Brazil/1)
Lin Anke (Chinese Taipei / 1)
Sosuke Genda Player (2)

Bo Takahashi pitcher has participated in the qualifying round of the 2017 WBC, but this will be his first time competing in this tournament. The right-hander, who has pitched in a total of 92 games for Saitama Seibu Lions with a ERA 3.28 record, is expected to be a key member of the Brazilian pitcher squad.

Newcomer Anka Hayashi has a track record of Home Run hitting against the Japanese national team in the 2024 Premier 12, and his performance in the tournament, which features a rematch with Samurai Japan, will also be of interest. In addition to the 2023 WBC, Genda also helped Japan win the 2019 Premier 12 and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and we look for him to lead his team to glory in this year's tournament as well.

The Giants: 3

pitcher Raidel Martinez (Cuba/3)
pitcher Alberto Baldonado (Panama/2)
Large pitcher (2)

Like pitcher, pitcher will be competing in his third consecutive tournament, having previously played in 2017 and 2023. He also competed in the Premier12 in 2019 and 2024, and is now the team's undisputed guardian angel.

pitcher will be competing in the 2023 WBC and the 2024 Premier12. In the last tournament, he pitched three inning in two games with ERA of 3.00, and is likely to be a key player in Panama's relief corps this time as well. pitcher pitch perfectly in the last tournament, allowing no runs in four games, and is expected to play a key role in bullpen again this time.

Tokyo Yakult: 1 person

Yuhei Nakamura (2)

Nakamura contributed to the team's victory as the starting catcher in the previous tournament. He hopes to use the experience he has gained in NPB and international tournaments to lead the team this time around and be the brains behind the team's second consecutive victory.

Yokohama DeNA...1 person

Hideto Maki (2)

Maki contributed to the team's victory in the 2023 WBC and was a key player in the Premier12 in 2024, making him a key player for Samurai Japan in recent years. His consistent performance in the NPB and his wealth of experience in international tournaments are sure to be indispensable for the team as they aim for consecutive victories.

Tohoku Rakuten Eagles: 1 person

pitcher Shoma Fujihira (1)

This will be pitcher 's first appearance in the WBC, but he is expected to deliver an overwhelming pitch in the 2024 Premier12, strike out 12 batters and allowing no runs in six games. As one of the few professional relief pitcher on Samurai Japan's team for this tournament, he is expected to perform at full capacity.

Chiba Lotte Marines...1 person

Atsuki Taneichi pitcher（1）

Atsuki Taneichi pitcher served as a support member at the 2023 WBC, but this will be his first appearance in the main tournament. In The Marines, he will carry the number "26", which is known as the fan's number, and will be able to contribute to the championship like pitcher Yoshiki Sasaki and former coach Rito Yoshii in the previous tournament.

Hiroshima: 1 person

Kaito Kozono (1)

Kozono has experience playing in the Premier12 in 2024, but this will be his first time in the WBC. In 2025, he won the double crown of leading hitter and highest on-base percentage in Central League while playing second base, third base, and shortstop, and there are high expectations for him to play a wide range of roles for Samurai Japan.

What kind of performance will the players, each carrying their own drama, show on the WBC stage?

A diverse international lineup of NPB teams will be competing on the big stage, including Fukuoka Softbank, which will be sending the most players of any team with nine. The courage shown by these players, each carrying their own story, at the WBC is sure to be a sight to behold, even for those who aren't fans.

Written by Ryota Mochizuki