BASEBALL / Taiwan qualifies for 2027 WBSC Premier12

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Taiwan, the defending champion of the WBSC Premier12, has secured a spot in the 2027 Premier12 tournament following the release of the latest official world rankings.

Taiwan ranked second in the standings updated by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) on Dec. 31, 2025. It had 5,112 points, second only to Japan (6,676 points) and followed by the United States, South Korea, and Venezuela.

The top 12 countries or regions on the year-end 2025 list earn direct eligibility for the 2027 tournament.

Ranking sixth through 12th were Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Netherlands, Cuba, Australia, and the Dominican Republic.

The order of the top 12 remained largely unchanged from the previous November update, with the exception of the Netherlands and Cuba swapping positions.

World ranking points are calculated based on a country or region's performances in tournaments over the last four years across all levels of competition. Taiwan's 2024 Premier12 title marked the nation's first major senior-level international championship.

The latest rankings were released just one day after the WBSC announced that its quadrennial flagship tournament will expand from 12 teams to 16 for the first time in 2027.

Teams ranked 13th to 18th, along with two wild cards, will vie for the four additional berths through two qualification tournaments.

The first qualification tournament of four teams competing for two spots in the Premier12 will be held at the International Baseball and Softball Centre in China's Guangdong Province Nov. 26-29, 2026, according to the WBSC.

The WBSC said it will announce details regarding the second qualification tournament at a later date. According to the year-end rankings, the teams eligible for the qualifiers include Colombia (13th), followed by Italy, the Czech Republic, Nicaragua, China, and Germany.