BASEBALL/Taipei Dome to host 2027 Premier12 opening, second rounds: Organizers

Taipei, Aug. 17 (CNA) The Taipei Dome will host the opening and second rounds of the 2027 WBSC Premier12 in November, organizers announced Monday as they unveiled a new 16-team format for the tournament.

At a press event in Taipei announcing Taiwan's hosting rights, organizers said Group A of the opening round will be played from Nov. 8 to 12, followed by the second round from Nov. 13 to 15. The four-team Super Round will be held in Japan.

The announcement provided further details after the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA) said Friday that Taiwan had secured hosting rights for part of the tournament.

Taiwan secured its place in the Premier12 by finishing second in the WBSC men's baseball world rankings at the end of 2025 and will play in Group A at home.

WBSC Executive Director Michael Schmidt said the tournament will expand from 12 to 16 teams for the first time, with four groups of four competing in round-robin opening-round play at four locations.

The top two teams from each opening-round group will advance, with the qualifiers from Groups A and B forming one second-round group and those from Groups C and D forming the other.

Each team will face only the two opponents it did not play in the opening round, with the top two teams from each second-round group advancing to the Super Round.

The other three teams in Group A and the hosts of Groups B, C and D will be announced later.

The field will comprise the top 12 teams in the year-end 2025 rankings and four teams advancing from two qualifiers, Schmidt said.

The 12 automatic qualifiers are Japan, Taiwan, the United States, South Korea, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, the Netherlands, Cuba, Australia and the Dominican Republic.

Spain, Colombia, Italy and Germany will contest the qualifier in Barcelona from Oct. 9 to 11, while China, Czechia, Great Britain and Nicaragua will play in Zhongshan, China, from Nov. 26 to 28. The top two teams from each qualifier will advance to the 2027 Premier12.

CTBA President Jeffrey Koo Jr. (辜仲諒) said securing hosting rights would not only showcase Taiwan to the world but also improve the national team's chances of winning.

"With the fans behind us, our chances of winning the championship are very good," Koo said.

He also recalled Taiwan's triumph at the 2024 Premier12, where it defeated Japan 4-0 in the final at Tokyo Dome to claim its first title at a major senior-level international baseball tournament.

The 2027 Premier12 will be the tournament's fourth edition. Taiwan has hosted games in every edition since the inaugural tournament in 2015.

The CTBA also announced Friday that Taiwan had secured hosting rights for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Baseball Final Qualifier, which is scheduled for March 2028 and will feature six teams competing for the final Olympic berth.

Organizers did not announce a specific competition format, date or venue for the qualifier Monday.

The United States, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela secured Olympic berths through this year's World Baseball Classic. The 2027 Premier12 will award one berth each to the highest-finishing eligible teams from Asia and Europe/Oceania.

Taiwan can therefore qualify directly by finishing ahead of the other eligible Asian teams at the Premier12. If it fails to do so, it will have another opportunity by winning the final qualifier.