Teams that have advanced to knockout stage in 2023 World Baseball Classic

The 2023 World Baseball Classic is almost out of the group stage with pools wrapping up play the next few days. We already have some pools done with round robin play and teams are advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament. Here we’ll go over the teams that have advanced into the knockout stage and how they fare in the three-round bracket.

Semifinals bracket

Cuba vs. USA — March 19, 7 p.m. ET
Japan vs. Mexico — March 20, 7 p.m. ET

Quarterfinals bracket

Cuba 4, Australia 3
USA 9, Venezuela 7
Japan 9, Italy 3
Mexico 5, Puerto Rico 4

2023 World Baseball Classic bracket

Pool A

Cuba — 2-2*
Italy — 2-2*
Netherlands — 2-2
Panama — 2-2
Chinese Taipei — 2-2

Cuba and Italy advanced from Pool A after a five-way tie. You can find the tiebreaker rules below. Italy will face Japan. Cuba awaits the runner-up to Pool B.

Pool B

Japan — 4-0*
Australia — 3-1*
Korea — 1-2
Czech Republic — 1-3
China — 0-3

Japan has advanced to the knockout stage and will face Italy in the quarterfinals. Australia was the second team to advance and will face Cuba in the quarterfinals.

Pool C

Mexico — 3-1*
USA — 3-1*
Canada — 2-2
Great Britain — 1-3
Colombia — 1-3

Mexico clinched first place thanks to their win over the United States. Mexico will face Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. The USA beat Colombia in the final game to advance and will face Venezuela in the quarterfinals.

Pool D

Venezuela — 4-0*
Puerto Rico — 3-1*
Dominican Republic — 2-2
Israel — 1-3
Nicaragua — 0-4

Venezuela advanced to the knockout stage after they beat Nicaragua 4-1 on Tuesday and will face the runner-up from pool C. Puerto Rico beat the Dominican Republic to clinch the second spot in the pool and will face Mexico in the quarterfinals.

Tiebreaking rules per MLB.com:

First Round: In the First Round, the teams in each pool shall be ranked according to the percentages of games won in the First Round. The two teams with the highest such percentages in each pool shall advance to the Quarterfinal Round. If at the end of pool play in Round One of the Tournament, teams within a pool are tied with an identical winning percentage, the tie shall be broken in the following order of priority:

• The team that won the games between the teams tied shall be given the higher position. If three or more teams are tied and one of those teams won its games against all other teams it is tied with, then it will be placed in the higher spot. Similarly, if one of those tied teams lost its games against all other teams it is tied with, then it will be placed in the lowest spot.
• The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to the lowest quotient of fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games in that round between the teams tied.
• The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to the lowest quotient of fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games in that round between the teams tied.
• The tied teams shall be ranked in the standings according to the highest batting average in games in that round between the teams tied.
• Standings shall be determined by the drawing of lots, conducted by WBCI.