Asia Professional Baseball Championship 2026 to open at Tokyo Dome

Four national teams have completed practice sessions in Tokyo for the third edition of the tournament presented by RAXUS. The event showcases emerging professional talent from the Australian Baseball League, Korea Baseball Organization, Chinese Professional Baseball League, and Nippon Professional Baseball Organization.

Australia brings MLB prospects

Australia returns for its second tournament appearance under manager David Nilsson with a roster featuring six players signed to Major League Baseball organizations and six veterans from the 2026 World Baseball Classic squad, according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

“Since the Premier12 2027 will be one of the qualifiers for the Los Angeles Olympics, we’ve decided to bring as many prospects for the national team to compete at this level, as it is also important to help build the roster depth for our adult team,” Nilsson told the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

The Australian MLB-affiliated contingent includes right-handers Rubens Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays and Adam Bates of the Boston Red Sox. Position players Jayden Kim and Brent Iredale of the Pittsburgh Pirates alongside Clayton Campbell of the Detroit Tigers and Max Durrington of the Athletics also join the squad.

Korea targets first title

“I was once worried about the status of the players who did not participate in the postseason, but I was relieved once we completed two practice games as they have outperformed my expectations,” manager Won Ho Choi said.

“Of course we want to defeat Japan, and with the limited roster of pitching staff we will have to arrange our pitching plan carefully,” Choi said to the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

KIA Tigers star Doyeong Kim is expected to lead the Korean challenge after topping the KBO with 45 home runs and a .647 slugging percentage in 2026. SSG Landers rookie Minjun Kim has been named as the starting pitcher against Japan.

Chinese Taipei relies on cohesion

Wild-card selection Tian-Hsin Kuo will captain the team after leading the CPBL in games played, plate appearances, and at-bats in 2026.

“Our young players are very energetic, very ambitious, and as a matter of fact, I think our strength really lies in a cohesive and unifying force,” Kao told the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

Chinese Taipei prepared with warm-up games, defeating the Wei Chuan Dragons 5-2 and drawing 5-5 with the CTBC Brothers. The team selected 13 pitchers, including Rakuten Monkeys duo Tzu-Wei Lin and Ke-Yi Chen.

Japan defends home turf

Two-time defending champions Japan enter the tournament with 23 players receiving their first senior national team call-ups under manager Tadahito Iguchi, according to the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Yomiuri Giants left-hander Kazuyuki Takemaru is another starting option for the pitching staff.

“These are the players who will take on the responsibility of Samurai Japan in the future, we are setting our goals at the Premier12 2027 and the Los Angeles Olympics 2028,” Iguchi told the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

Tournament games take place at Tokyo Dome

All tournament games take place at the Tokyo Dome, with the opening round running from November 12 to November 14, followed by the bronze medal game and final on November 15, as detailed by Tokyo Cheapo.

Opening round games on Thursday and Friday begin at noon and 7 p.m., while Saturday games follow the same schedule. Sunday features the third-place game at 11 a.m. and the final at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available through Lawson Ticket, e+, and Ticket Pia, alongside convenience store terminals and the Tokyo Dome ticket counter. Prices range from ¥1,800 for obstructed-view seats to ¥15,000 for Premium SS infield seats, with outfield reserved seats priced at ¥2,500.