Schedule revealed for WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C in Oklahoma City: South Africa take on Guatemala in Game 1 at Devon Park
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) revealed the 19-game schedule of the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C, to be played from 17 to 21 September in Oklahoma City, USA. You can see the schedule here.
This group will conclude the WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group Stage, confirming the last two tickets and the wild card available for the Finals in 2025. The Dominican Republic and Australia earned their ticket in Group A, played in Hermosillo, Mexico; while Argentina and New Zealand advanced from Group B in Prince Albert, Canada. As the host team of the Finals, Canada secured the first wild card.
Group C will feature world No. 4 Japan, No. 7 USA, No. 13 Guatemala, No. 17 Colombia, No. 18 South Africa and No. 19 the Netherlands.
Each group consists of a four-day, 15-game round robin with the top four teams advancing to playoffs on the final day where the top two sides in the standings will play each other with a ticket to the Finals at stake. The loser of the first play-off game will then play against the winner of the game between third and fourth, for the second spot in the Finals.
The Play-Offs of Group C will be played on 21 September.
Group C will open on 17 September, with Guatemala and South Africa going head to head in Game 1 of the event, at 13:00 (local time). In Game 2, the Netherlands will play Japan at 16:00, while hosts USA will make their debut in the Opening Round against Colombia at 19:00.
From 18 to 20 September, four games will be played every day at 10:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00 to complete the Opening Round, with every team playing a double header in the tournament.
The WBSC Men's Softball World Cup Group C will be played entirely at OGE Field in Devon Park, Oklahoma City, which was announced last month as the competition venue for the LA28 Olympic Games softball event.
With a capacity of 13,000 spectators, the stadium hosted the WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2015 and it's also the house of the NCAA Women's Softball World Series, which annually draws over 190,000 people from outside Oklahoma to enjoy softball.