As the holiday season comes to a close, baseball fans around the country eagerly await the start of spring training. In the Caribbean, however, baseball never stops. Every winter, pros turn to warmer climates to stay loose in the offseason. This cycle comes to a head with the Caribbean Series, and the 2026 iteration is slated to start Feb. 1. Check out key facts about the event below:
What is the format and schedule for the tournament?
Five teams will compete in a single round-robin format Feb. 1-5, where the four teams with the best records will advance to the semifinals Feb. 6. The championship game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7.
Where is this tournament taking place?
Originally, the tournament was scheduled to take place in the Venezuelan cities of Caracas and La Guairá. However, the other countries competing requested that the tournament be moved elsewhere due to the political situation in Venezuela. The decision was made to move the tournament to Zapopan, Mexico, with all games played at the Estadio Panamericano de Béisbol.
Where can fans watch the games?
All games will be simulcast in the ESPN App and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. Fans can check out the full 2026 schedule here.
Which countries/teams are competing?
Typically, the tournament features the four full member leagues of the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation: Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The tournament has also historically invited guest nations to play, such as Panama, Cuba and Japan on different occasions. Because of the other members protesting the tournament's location, the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League decided to pull out altogether. The federation then elected to send its league champion to play in the 2026 Serie de las Américas, which will take place during the same period. Venezuela then invited the champions of the 2024-25 Panamanian Professional Baseball League season to compete in the Serie de las Américas instead, which they accepted. In their place, the CBPC elected to invite both runners-up in this season's Mexican Pacific League and the winners of the 2023-24 Panamanian Professional Baseball League season. The teams in the 2026 edition of the tournament are: Dominican Republic (Leones del Escogido), Mexico Rojo (Charros de Jalisco), Mexico Verde (Tomateros de Culiacán), Panama (Federales de Chiriquí) and Puerto Rico (Cangrejeros de Santurce).
Who are the defending champions?
Last year, the Dominican Republic took home the crown, represented by the Leones del Escogido. The Leones will look to defend their title this year as back-to-back Dominican Professional Baseball champions.
Will there be any MLB talent in this tournament?
In years past, recognizable MLB names such as José Ramírez, Adolis Garcia and Nelson Velázquez have taken part in the Caribbean Series before or during their MLB tenures. However, most MLB-ready players tend to transition toward preparing for spring training in the early months of the year. As such, few active players are listed on these team rosters. A portion of these rosters are made up of MLB veterans looking to keep playing the game and get more reps in the hopes of getting attention from major league clubs.
Will we see national teams compete, as in the World Baseball Classic?
A common misconception regarding this tournament is that the format is similar to the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The teams might wear jerseys representing their home countries, but these are not the national squads we will see in a few months' time. Instead, think of this tournament as a Caribbean baseball version of the UEFA Champions League. The champions of each respective country's winter league compete to crown the champions of the Caribbean.
How many titles has each country won?
Dominican Republic: 23 (1971, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2025)
Puerto Rico: 16 (1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1983, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2017, 2018)
Mexico: 9 (1976, 1986, 1996, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016)
Cuba: 8 (1949, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 2015)
Venezuela: 8 (1970, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1989, 2006, 2009, 2024)
Panama: 2 (1950, 2019)
Colombia: 1 (2022)
Curaçao: 0
*Information from ESPN Stats & Information
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