Team USA avoided elimination from the 2026 World Baseball Classic thanks to Italy’s victory over Mexico in the final game of Pool B. Another shocking episode delivered by the dark horse of the tournament.
After a 5-3 victory over Mexico, Aaron Judge and his teammates seemed to have everything under control with a 3-0 record. However, in one of the biggest surprises in history, they fell 8-6 to the Italian squad.
Team USA was one of the favorites to win the title alongside Japan and the Dominican Republic. However, the Americans had to wait for a combination of results to know whether they advanced to the knockout stages or not.
Is Team USA eliminated from World Baseball Classic?
No. Team USA is not eliminated from the 2026 World Baseball Classic. To reach the knockout stages, help arrived just in time. The simplest scenario for qualifying was for Italy to beat Mexico and, that way, the United States advanced to the quarterfinals.
Team Italy secures first place in WBC
Italy got the first place of Pool B after the victory over Mexico. That’s a huge achievement and sets up an exciting matchup in the quarterfinals against Puerto Rico.