Jazz Chisholm Jr. is making his long-awaited 2026 World Baseball Classic debut with Great Britain, even though he was born in the Bahamas. Under WBC eligibility rules, he can suit up for the British team because he was born in Nassau.
According to the rules, since the Bahamas is a former British colony and remains connected to Great Britain through the Commonwealth, players like Chisholm Jr. are fully eligible to play for the national team in the Classic or other international tournaments.
Chisholm Jr. previously appeared in the 2017 WBC qualifiers with his national team in 2016, but he couldn’t participate in the 2023 qualifiers or the 2023 edition of the Classic due to injury while he was with Miami.
Chisholm Jr. shares Great Britain’s roster with other international players
While Chisholm Jr. was born in the Bahamas and has a clear connection to Great Britain, the team’s WBC roster also includes a number of U.S.-born players. In total, 23 players have a connection to Great Britain similar to Chisholm Jr.
Alongside Chisholm Jr., four other players born in the Bahamas are on the roster: Kristian Robinson (Diamondbacks), Ian Lewis Jr. (Marlins), BJ Murray (Cubs), and Chavez Fernander, who was drafted by the Tigers in 2018 and played one season in 2022 in Detroit.
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Great Britain has never won a World Baseball Classic but has had notable successes. The team earned a silver medal at the 2023 European Championship, finishing second, and previously won the now-defunct Baseball World Cup in 1938.
