World Baseball Classic Pool B Games Bring Star Power to Daikin Park

Some of baseball's brightest stars descended on downtown Houston this week as Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros, took center stage for Pool B of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The United States, Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico each played four first-round games at the ballpark between March 6 and March 11, with 10 Pool B matchups total packed into that six-day window.

Team USA captain Aaron Judge set the tone before the squad even arrived in Houston. Before a lone team workout at Phoenix's Papago Sports Complex, Judge stood in front of his teammates as a roster months in the making came together for the first time. An AP photo taken at a March 5 workout in Houston captured Judge slapping hands with third baseman Alex Bregman, an image that telegraphed the caliber of talent assembled for the tournament.

Not every player needed time to warm up to the moment. Raleigh, a Seattle Mariners catcher who made the 45-minute drive from Peoria where the Mariners train, described walking into the Team USA clubhouse as something close to surreal. "I've constantly been thinking about it," he said. "Playing for your country is a great opportunity." His reaction upon seeing the locker room was equally candid: "Star-studded lineup. Walking in the locker room with the best players in the league. That's crazy to be in that spot. And very cool."

Kyle Schwarber, a veteran of the 2023 World Baseball Classic team that fell to Japan in the finals, needed no convincing to return despite a hectic offseason that included free agency and a newborn at home. "It was always a yes right away," Schwarber said of receiving the call from DeRosa. "It's my third time to represent your country in some format, in college, in '23 to now. And whenever you get that call, it's just an automatic yes."

Team USA's Pool B schedule at Daikin Park opened March 6 against Brazil at 8 p.m. ET, followed by Great Britain on March 7 at 8 p.m. ET, Mexico on March 9 at 8 p.m. ET, and Italy on March 10 at 9 p.m. ET. The top two teams from Pool B advance, with quarterfinals set for March 13 and 14 at Daikin Park. The March 13 quarterfinal could still include Team USA depending on how the pool standings shake out.

Tickets for the 10 pool games and two quarterfinal matchups were available through Major League Baseball's website. As of midday Friday, seats for the USA-Brazil opener started at $28, while the cheapest tickets for Monday night's USA-Mexico game were $89.

Houston is one of four host cities for the 20-team tournament, alongside Miami, Tokyo and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Miami's loanDepot Park, which hosted Pool D, will also stage the semifinals March 15 and 16 and the championship game March 17.