U-18 World Baseball Tournament Rescheduled in Sarasota, Bradenton

SARASOTA-BRADENTON, FL — After being rescheduled last summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 Baseball World Cup 2021 has been rescheduled and is coming to the Sarasota and Bradenton area this fall.

The competition, scheduled for Sept. 9-18, will take place in the United States for the first time since 1995, according to a news release from the organization.

“We have been patiently waiting to host this event for years,” Russ Yurk, tournament director, said. “This is where baseball fans get to discover and meet players who could one day become national and international icons, and we could not be more thrilled to know the World Cup is finally happening here in Bradenton and Sarasota.”

The top 12 under-18 teams from around the globe will compete for the WBSC Baseball World Cup title with teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Three games will be played each day between Sarasota’s Ed Smith Stadium and Bradenton’s LECOM Park. A total of 50 games will be played, with the tournament’s gold and bronze medal games taking place Sept. 18 at Ed Smith Stadium.