After successful showing in 2023, World Baseball Classic returns to loanDepot park in 2026
loanDepot park will once again play a key role in one of baseball’s biggest international events.
The home of the Miami Marlins will serve as a host in all three round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, including the semifinals and championship, the organization announced Thursday. This marks the second consecutive tournament that loanDepot part will be a fixture for every step of the event.
The 20-team tournament will take place March 2026.
Prior to the 2023 World Baseball Classic, no venue had ever been included in every phase of the tournament.
During that 2023 tournament, loanDepot park hosted 15 games — 10 in pool play, two quarterfinals, the two semifinals and the championship game — with a combined announced attendance of 475,269 for an average of 31,684.6 fans per game. Nine of the 15 games had more than 35,000 people, including 36,098 for the championship between the United States and Japan.
“Following a record-breaking World Baseball Classic in 2023, loanDepot park showcased that it is the home of international baseball, and we are proud to once again bring the incredible tournament back to South Florida, the go-to destination for jewel global events,” Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to once again serve as host for all three rounds, including the prestigious final, and on behalf of our entire team and the greater Miami area I would like to express our gratitude to Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association for the recognition.”
The other three host sites for the 2026 World Baseball Classic are Houston’s Minute Maid Park, Japan’s Tokyo Dome and Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium.
loanDepot park, which opened in 2012 on the site of the former Orange Bowl in Little Havana and was named Marlins Park until the 2021 season, will now have been part of each of the four most recent World Baseball Classics.
In addition to hosting all three rounds in 2026 and 2023, loanDepot park was a first-round site in 2017 and a second-round site in 2013.
Miami Gardens’ Dolphin Stadium, now called Hard Rock Stadium, was also one of two sites for the second round of pool play for the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
