This Friday marks the start of the first international baseball5 tournaments. Organized in France at the CREPS Toulouse grounds, the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) has sanctioned the event, meaning results will count toward the world rankings. Reminder: France currently holds the third spot.
Other participants include Belgium, France, France U18, Lithuania, Spain via Catalonia, and Italy via the Aosta Valley. The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 2nd, at 1:30 PM. If the competition is broadcast on the federation’s Facebook page, we’ll relay it on Baseball TV France, hoping to see at least one of the French teams in the final.
On the player front in France, we see the core teams that performed well this winter or competed in the French Open in January.
This competition also aims to better prepare France for the European Championship, set to take place in Lithuania next November. On the youth front, we’ve just learned that the first World Cup will be organized in Turkey.
Our European champions now know their destination. In October, they’ll head to Turkey’s capital, Ankara, to face the best nations on the planet.
Among the already qualified opponents: Turkey, the European vice-champion and host country, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Ghana, and Tunisia. The Americas Championship, starting soon, will complete the lineup.
This sport is gradually structuring itself in international competitions. Let’s hope France can retain its European champion title and aim to win the World Cup in October.
