BASEBALL / 2026 CPBL All-Star Game to be held at Taipei Dome in July

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) The All-Star Game weekend of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) will be held at Taipei Dome on July 18-19, marking the third consecutive year the event will be held at the indoor venue.

This year's showcase will feature a matchup between a fan-voted "Team Star" squad and "Team Taiwan," built around players eligible for the 2026 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said at a promotional event in Taipei on Monday.

The APBC, scheduled to be held later this year at Tokyo Dome in Japan, is an international tournament primarily for players aged 24 or younger, though each team is allowed several wildcard selections.

Tsai said the Team Taiwan roster for the All-Star Game would not consist entirely of younger players, adding that some potential wildcard candidates for the APBC squad would also be included.

Because the APBC will take place shortly after the CPBL season ends, Tsai said the league hopes to use the All-Star Game to help players begin building chemistry ahead of the international tournament.

"We hope to establish a basic team framework through the All-Star Game," Tsai said.

Asked about the manager of Team Taiwan, Tsai declined to reveal the name, saying the announcement would be made at a later press conference.

He hinted that the candidate is among a group of coaches the league has been developing in recent years through international and developmental tournaments overseen by the CPBL, including the APBC and the Asia Winter Baseball League.

Tsai added that the candidate is from roughly the same generation as Taiwan national team manager Tseng Hao-jiu (曾豪駒), who guided Taiwan to the championship at the 2024 WBSC Premier12.

Asked whether the APBC manager could also become Taiwan's manager for next year's World Baseball Classic, Tsai said that was not necessarily the case.

"That is not certain," Tsai said. "The commissioner may change in the future, and the next person who takes over may not continue with the same plans."