⚾ World Baseball Classic Expert Picks 2026: Your Ultimate Hub for WBC Odds
Venezuela locked in its first-ever WBC title after defeating the United States 3-2 in the final.
This is your ultimate betting hub for the tournament, as it will feature all of Sportsbook Review's WBC 2026 expert picks, with predictions from multiple analysts throughout.
We have more than just bets, though. Read on for rules differences between MLB and the WBC, updated roster news, daily picks and odds, and more.
💵 Best WBC final picks & expert predictions: Team USA vs. Venezuela
Our daily matchup previews feature moneyline, Over/Under run totals, home run bets, and another player prop bet. For more information on how to bet on those, check out our World Baseball Classic betting guide. Get locked in for all of the action, because we're in for an epic day of baseball.
United States vs. Venezuela - 8 p.m. ET, Monday (loanDepot park, Miami)
Our United States vs. Venezuela predictions anticipate a high-scoring game with Eduardo Rodriguez and Nolan McLean going up against two elite offenses. Elsewhere, Ronald Acuna highlights my best home run predictions for the WBC final.
💣 WBC player prop tracker
| Pick | Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Witt Jr. 2+ bases (+110) | 1u -> 2.10u | 4-for-12 vs. Rodriguez in career |
| Ronald Acuna Jr. to hit a home run (+550) | .2u -> 1.30u | Home run vs. McLean in three career plate appearances |
Are you looking for Paul Skenes WBC strikeout props? He's the driving force behind our MLB win totals sleeper picks and predictions. Or, maybe you were into Shohei Ohtani total hits bets or Yoshinobu Yamamoto total outs? Could an extended run in the WBC hurt their Los Angeles Dodgers when the MLB season begins? Our MLB win totals picks provide more insight.
And speaking of extended run, Tarik Skubal will pitch only one game in the WBC. He's obviously focused on the upcoming season with the Detroit Tigers, which is why he's featured in our MLB awards long-shot bets.
If you're wondering how to bet on these pitchers and more during the tournament, head to our WBC pitching betting guide.
WBC roster updates
Team USA announced a number of pitching on Thursday ahead of the quarterfinals. Clayton Kershaw, Michael Wacha, and Ryan Yarbrough will join Tarik Skubal in returning to their MLB teams, and they'll be replaced by Joe Ryan, Will Vest, Tyler Rogers, and Tim Hill.
Additionally, Ryan could start in the finals if Team USA makes it to that point. It was previously believed that rookie Nolan McLean would start in a potential finals matchup.
🔢 Live WBC lines & odds
Here are the 2026 WBC odds with prices from our best sports betting sites. Make sure to check out our World Baseball Classic odds and WBC MVP odds for additional information related to this tournament and those of the past.
📅 Complete 2026 WBC results & schedule
Wednesday, March 4
- Chinese Taipei (0) vs. Australia (3)
Thursday, March 5
- Czechia (4) vs. South Korea (11)
- Australia (5) vs. Czechia (1)
Friday, March 6
- Japan (13) vs. Chinese Taipei (0) (*Mercy rule enforced after seven innings)
- Cuba (3) vs. Panama (1)
- Netherlands (2) vs. Venezuela (6)
- Mexico (8) vs. Great Britain(2)
- Puerto Rico (5) vs. Colombia (0)
- Nicaragua (3) vs. Dominican Republic (12)
- USA (15) vs. Brazil (5)
- Chinese Taipei (14) vs. Czechia (0) (*Mercy rule enforced after seven innings)
Saturday, March 7
- South Korea (6) vs. Japan (8)
- Colombia (2) vs. Canada (8)
- Nicaragua (3) vs. Netherlands (4)
- Brazil (0) vs. Italy (8)
- Panama (3) vs. Puerto Rico (4)
- Israel (3) vs. Venezuela (11)
- Great Britain (1) vs. USA (9)
- Chinese Taipei (5) vs. South Korea (4)
Sunday, March 8
- Australia (3) vs. Japan (4)
- Colombia (4) vs. Cuba (7)
- Netherlands (1) vs. Dominican Republic (12) (*Mercy rule enforced after seven innings)
- Great Britain (4) vs. Italy (7)
- Nicaragua (0) vs. Israel (5)
- Panama (4) vs. Canada (3)
- Brazil (0) vs. Mexico (16) (*Mercy rule enforced after six innings)
Monday, March 9
- South Korea (7) vs. Australia (2)
- Dominican Republic (10) vs. Israel (1)
- Colombia (4) vs. Panama (3)
- Brazil (1) vs. Great Britain (8)
- Cuba (1) vs. Puerto Rico (4)
- Venezuela (4) vs. Nicaragua (0)
- Mexico (3) vs. USA (5)
Tuesday, March 10
- Czechia (0) vs. Japan (9)
- Israel (6) vs. Netherlands (2)
- Canada (3) vs. Puerto Rico (2)
- Italy (8) vs. USA (6)
Wednesday, March 11
- Canada (7) vs. Cuba (2)
- Italy (9) vs. Mexico (1)
- Dominican Republic (7) vs. Venezuela (5)
Friday, March 13
- South Korea (0) vs. Dominican Republic (10)
- USA (5) vs. Canada (3)
Saturday, March 14
- Puerto Rico (6) vs. Italy (8)
- Venezuela (8) vs. Japan (5)
Sunday, March 15
- USA (2) vs. Dominican Republic (1)
Monday, March 16
- Italy (2) vs. Venezuela (4)
Tuesday, March 17
- United States (2) vs. Venezuela (3) 🏆
💰 WBC pool results & championship futures
The round-robin (or pool-play) stage was broken into four groups.
- Pool A: Puerto Rico, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, and Panama played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
- Pool B: USA, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, and Great Britain played at Daikin Park (home of the Astros) in Houston, Texas.
- Pool C: Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Australia, and Czechia played at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
- Pool D: Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Israel played at loanDepot park (home of the Marlins) in Miami, Florida.
(Teams bolded qualified for the knockout phase)
Andrew Brennan made a number of World Baseball Classic predictions early in February before the final rosters were announced. Here are his futures bets:
| Market | Bet | Wager size | Profit (Units) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outright winner | Team USA (+110 via DraftKings) | 1 unit | 1.1 units |
| Outright winner | Mexico (+4000 via theScore Bet) ❌ | 0.2 units | 8 units |
| Pool winner | Canada to win Pool A (+500 via theScore bet) ✅ | 0.2 units | 1 unit |
| Pool qualifier | Netherlands to qualify from Pool D (+450 via DraftKings) ❌ | 0.2 units | 0.9 units |
| WBC MVP | Bobby Witt Jr. (+1900 via FanDuel) | 0.2 units | 3.8 units |
Here are all of the other WBC futures bets from the Sportsbook Review team:
| Market (Analyst) | Bet | Wager size | Profit (Units) |
|---|---|---|---|
| WBC MVP (Sean Tomlinson) | Yoshinobu Yamamoto (+3000 via BetMGM) | 0.25 units | 7.5 units |
| WBC MVP (Dustin Saracini) | Kyle Schwarber (+1700 via FanDuel) | 0.3 units | 5.1 units |
❓ 2026 WBC FAQs
When will the WBC be decided?
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be played from March 4 to March 17.
How do the WBC rules compare to MLB?
- Pitchers can't throw more than 65 pitches in a single game in pool play, more than 80 pitches in the quarterfinals, and more than 95 pitches in the championship round. The only exception is if passing that limit comes while completing a batter's plate appearance.
- Pitchers who throw 50 or more pitches in a single contest will be required to have a minimum of four days' rest before he can be used again. If they throw 30 or more pitches, it will require one day of rest, and pitchers who throw on consecutive days will also be required to rest for a day before pitching again.
- Games in pool play and the quarterfinals will end when a team leads by 10 or more runs after the completion of the seventh inning, or 15 or more runs after the fifth inning.
Who advanced from pool play?
Canada, Puerto Rico, Italy, USA, Japan, South Korea, Dominican Republic, and Venezuela all advanced from pool play to the knockout stage.
What if there's a tie in pool-play records?
- If there is a tie, it will be broken by the head-to-head record, followed by lowest runs allowed per number of defensive innings, lowest earned runs allowed/defensive innings, and then highest batting average.
- Additionally, the team that finishes last in each pool will be relegated and need to qualify for the World Baseball Classic again before the next tournament.
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