World Baseball Classic 2023: Schedule, Format, Rosters, How to Watch and Stream From Anywhere

November 17, 2023 appsky

Fox Sports App



Free with authentication







    See at Fox Sports
Sling TV



Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $51 a month







    See at Sling TV
YouTube TV



Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $65 a month







    See at YouTube TV
FuboTV



Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $70 a month







    See at FuboTV
Hulu with Live TV



Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $70 a month







    See at Hulu with Live TV

DirecTV Stream



Carries Fox and FS1 for $75 a month







    See at DirecTV Stream
Tubi TV



Will show three WBC games for free







    See at Tubi TV
ExpressVPN



Best VPN for streaming







    See at ExpressVPN

    Spring training games have just begun, but many Major League baseball players will soon be taking a two-week break from practices and practice games in Arizona and Florida to play for their country in the World Baseball Classic.?
    With a roster of 30 MLB players, Team USA enters the tournament as the defending champion. The Dominican Republic (winner in 2013) and Japan (two-time champ, in 2009 and 2006) loom as the biggest obstacles to an American repeat.
    The tournament runs from March 7 to 21. Games will be shown on Fox, FS1, FS2 and Fox Deportes. In addition, three early-round games will be shown live on the Fox-owned Tubi streaming app. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the WBC, with or without cable.

    Mookie Betts will trade Dodger blue for red, white and blue when he suits up for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
    Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

What is the schedule and format of the WBC?

Twenty teams will play in this year’s tournament, up from 16 teams in past years. There are four different pools of five teams each. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the quarterfinals, at which point it becomes an eight-team, single-elimination tournament.

Pool play: March 7 to 15

Quarterfinals: March 15 to 18

Semifinals: March 19 and 20

Championship: March 21

Where are the WBC games being played?

The tournament will be held in four locations, two in the US and two in Asia:

LoanDepot Park (home of the Miami Marlins) in Miami
Chase Field (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks) in Phoenix
Tokyo Dome in Tokyo
Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan

Which countries are playing in the World Baseball Classic?

Here’s how the 20 teams are arranged in the four pools:
Pool A

Cuba
Netherlands
Italy
Chinese Taipei
Panama

Pool A will play its games in Taiwan.
Pool B

Japan
South Korea
Australia
China
Czech Republic

Pool B will play its games in Japan.
Pool C

United States
Mexico
Canada
Colombia
Great Britain

Pool C will play its games in Phoenix.
Pool D

Dominican Republic
Venezuela
Puerto Rico
Israel
Nicaragua

    Pool D will play its games in Miami.?
    Pool A and B quarterfinals will be played in Japan. Pool C and D quarterfinals will be played in Miami. The semifinals and championship game will be played in Miami.

Who are the biggest MLB stars playing in the WBC?

    USA: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado
    Dominican Republic: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Rafael Devers, Juan Soto, Wander Franco, Julio Rodríguez, Sandy Alcantara
    Japan: Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish
    Venezuela: Ronald Acu?a Jr., Jose Altuve
    Netherlands: Xander Bogaerts
    Puerto Rico: Francisco Lindor
    Canada: Freddie Freeman
    You can see the?full roster for each WBC team here.

When does Team USA play?

Here’s the schedule for the US team’s four games in Pool C:

Game 1 vs. Great Britain: March 11 at 6 p.m. PT? (9 p.m. ET) on Fox
Game 2 vs. Mexico: March 12 at 7 p.m. PT? (10 p.m. ET) on FS1
Game 3 vs. Canada: March 13 at 7 p.m. PT? (10 p.m. ET) on FS1
Game 4 vs. Colombia: March 15 at 7 p.m. PT? (10 p.m. ET) on FS1

The tournament starts at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) on March 7 with the first game between Cuba and the Netherlands. You can see the?full WBC schedule here.

How can I watch the World Baseball Classic?
    You can watch the WBC on Fox, FS1, FS2 and Fox Deportes with a live TV streaming service, but keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your area. The key channel for the WBC is FS1, which will not only show three of Team USA’s first four games but will also show both semifinal games and the title game.?
    Games can also be streamed live online through FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app, but you’ll need to authenticate with a cable, streaming or satellite login. You don’t need an account to watch the three games on the free, ad-supported Tubi streaming service.?

Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Fox Sports App

Free with authentication

You can watch WBC games live at FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app, but you need to authenticate with a cable, streaming or satellite login. Fox Sports has apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and Xbox.

    See at Fox Sports

Sling/CNET

Sling TV

Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $51 a month

Sling’s $40-a-month Blue package includes Fox and FS1, but it carries Fox only in a handful of areas. It does not offer Fox Deportes. You can add FS2 for an extra $11 a month. Read our Sling TV review.

    See at Sling TV

YouTube TV

Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $65 a month

YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes Fox, FS1 and FS2 but not Fox Deportes. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review.

    See at YouTube TV

Fubo TV

FuboTV

Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $70 a month

FuboTV’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes Fox, FS1 and FS2. To watch Spanish-language broadcasts on Fox Deportes, you will need to spring for FuboTV’s $86-a-month plan. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our FuboTV review.

    See at FuboTV

Hulu

Hulu with Live TV

Carries Fox, FS1 and FS2 for $70 a month

Hulu with Live TV costs $70 a month and includes Fox. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

    See at Hulu with Live TV

Directv stream

DirecTV Stream

Carries Fox and FS1 for $75 a month

DirecTV Stream’s basic, $75-a-month package includes Fox and FS1. You need to spend $110 to also get FS2. Fox Deportes is not offered. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review.

    See at DirecTV Stream

Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Tubi TV

Will show three WBC games for free

Tubi is a free, ad-supported streaming service that shows movies and TV shows along with local news livestreams, live sports, weather and entertainment channels. Three early-round WBC games will be shown live on Tubi: Italy vs. Cuba on March 9, Czech Republic vs. China on March 9 and Italy vs. Chinese Taipei on March 10.

    See at Tubi TV

How to use a VPN to watch the WBC from anywhere
    If you’re traveling outside your home country and want to watch the WBC, or just want an added layer of privacy for streaming, there is an option that doesn’t require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.
    With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to WBC broadcasts, which comes in handy if you find yourself unable to view the games locally. A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
    If you can’t find a convenient opportunity to watch the WBC where you live, using a VPN with a US-based server should provide access to some or all of the streaming options listed below. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
    Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, as long as you’ve got a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. See our list of best VPNs for more and check out other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Sarah Tew/CNET

ExpressVPN

Best VPN for streaming

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription. Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

See at ExpressVPN

Quick tips for streaming the WBC using a VPN

With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.?
And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend?Brave.