Argentina comes into the 18th Men's Softball World Cup as the number one ranked team in the world. Here, Argentinian pitcher Huemul Mata (#4) delivers a pitch against Canada during a round robin contest at the World Cup Group B qualifiers at Rotary Field in Prime Ministers Park in Prince Albert on July 11, 2024. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW)

By Logan Lehmann

Men's Softball World Cup

Best of the Best: A look at the eight teams vying for world glory at Softball World Cup

Jun 30, 2025 | 3:12 PM

As the first pitch of the 18th Men’s Softball World Cup is thrown in less than 10 days, the eight teams representing their countries are set to battle in what’s being called the most anticipated Men’s Softball World Cup in history.

The eight countries will be split into two groups with Canada in Group A, which also includes Argentina, New Zealand, and Venezuela. Group B is led by the defending World Champions Australia, and also features Japan, the United States, and the Dominican Republic.

A full schedule can be found here.

READ MORE:

• Final preparations underway for Sr. Men’s World Softball Championships
• Japan and Dominican Republic to open Softball World Cup tournament in Prince Albert

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Canada is looking to continue their historic success at the World Cup as they’ve medalled in the last four finals, which includes a gold in 2015 in Saskatoon, the last time the tournament was held in Saskatchewan. Their run also had Canada claim bronze in 2017 in Whitehorse and in 2019 in Prague. The last time the Men’s Softball World Cup was held was in 2022, where Canada claimed silver in Auckland.

In total, Canada has won 14 medals at the World Cup, the most out of any other country that’s ever played in the finals.

“Selecting the final roster for the Men’s Softball World Cup was a very difficult task, and that speaks to how prepared our athletes were coming into camp,” said Head Coach John Stuart in an interview with the WBSC. “The staff is very excited to have a solid mix of veterans and younger players on our roster as we compete for a world title on home soil in Prince Albert.”

Canada qualified for the finals as the host team after finishing third in the Group B qualifiers last year with a 4-3 record. They lost twice in the round robin, coming at the hands of Argentina and New Zealand who both went on to claim the top spots in the group and qualify for the finals as well.

The hosts enter the Men’s Softball World Cup as the fourth ranked team in the world and are set to open their tournament against New Zealand, who are the most decorated men’s softball team in history.

The Black Sox national team has won the most gold medals with seven, which included a stretch of three straight in 1996, 2000, and 2004. That dominance also saw New Zealand compete for a medal in 10 consecutive World Cups dating from 1984 to 2017. However, the Black Sox failed to reach the podium in the last two tournaments, marking the first time they’ve gone back-to-back World Cups without a medal. They sit one behind Canada for the most medals ever at 13 and come to Prince Albert ranked eighth in the world.

The other winner of the Group B qualifiers, Argentina, enters the finals as the favourites to win it all. The World No. 1 ranked team swept the competition at last year’s qualifiers, finishing the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record while outscoring their opponents 51-6. Their lineup led the group in batting average (.354), RBI (44), runs scored (51), and slugging percentage (.685).

Their roster also features 12 returning players from the 2019 team that won the country’s only gold medal at the World Cup in Prague. The gold is also the only medal that Argentina has ever won.

Rounding out Group A is Venezuela, the only other team to come from South America and one of two countries representing Latin America. The team placed third in the Group A qualifiers in Mexico after sweeping the round-robin stage with a 5-0 record. Venezuela managed to qualify for the finals as one of two Wild Cards, being the highest-ranked third-place finisher in the Group Stage.

2025 marks the 11th World Cup Finals berth for the country with their best finish coming in 2013 when they claimed silver. At the following tournament in 2015, Venezuela captured bronze which, to date, are the only two medals they’ve won. The Venezuelans are ranked fifth in the world ahead of the finals.

Highlighting Group B at the Men’s Softball World Cup in Prince Albert are the 2022 defending champs from down under. Australia comes to Canada ranked second in the world after placing second at the Group A qualifiers last year, where they struggled.

Finishing with a 4-3 record, the team posted a group-low .215 batting average while managing a .302 on-base percentage with 21 walks.

“The selected team combines experienced World Champions and a solid blend of youth with exciting talent, who will all come together for the Aussie Steelers’ 2025 WBSC World Cup campaign,” said Head Coach Mike Titheradge, who will make his Australia Head Coach debut in Prince Albert.

The Aussies have had previous success in Saskatchewan, winning their first World Championship in 2009 along with a fourth-place finish in 2015, both happening in Saskatoon.

Behind Australia and the lone representative from Asia enters Japan, a team that has participated in every edition of the Men’s Softball World Cup but has yet to win it all. The closest they’ve come to capturing the crown was in 2000 and 2019 when they claimed silver. They also have one bronze medal that came in 1996.

Japan, ranked third in the world, made it to P.A. as the second-placed team in Group C, posting a 5-2 record. Both of their losses came against the United States, the other team to advance from the group to the Finals.

Speaking of the Americans, the U.S., like Japan, has also competed in every World Cup, however, they have some more hardware to show for it. Historically, the States rank second all-time on the medal table behind New Zealand with five world titles, one silver, and four bronze medals, combining for 10 total. Despite the past success, the U.S. has not won gold at the World Cup since 1988 coming in Saskatoon.

The Americans dominated the Group C qualifiers in Oklahoma City, leading the stage with a .422 batting average, 1.224 OPS, and 26 walks — all the highest totals across the qualifiers. They scored 51 runs in six games, tied with Argentina for the most runs in the Group Stage. The U.S. ranks sixth in the world entering the World Cup.

Finally, the Dominican Republic returns to the Men’s Softball World Cup finals after missing out in 2019 and 2022. Coming to Prince Albert as the lowest ranked team in the world at 12th, the D.R. made a ton of noise at the qualifiers by winning Group A with a 4-2 record, advancing to the Finals as the top-seeded team. There, they faced undefeated Venezuela and managed to claim the Group with a 2-0 win.

Despite 2025 marking the countries seventh World Cup appearance, the Dominican Republic has yet to medal at the tournament with their highest finish being fifth in 1984 and 2015. In their last World Cup appearance in 2017, the Dominicans placed 11th out of 16 with a 4-6 record.

– With files from World Baseball Softball Confederation

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social