2025 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup

Last updated
2025 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup
Tournament details
Host countryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Dates 2025
Teams18 (from 5 continents)
← 2021

The 2025 U-18 Women's Softball World Cup is the fifteenth edition of the U-18 Women's Softball World Cup, which will be hosted for the first time by three nations. [1] [2]

Contents

The tournament, with a history of 42 years and 14 editions, moved to a four-year cycle and changed its competition format in 2024. The Group Stage were held between July and September 2024 in São Paulo, Pingtan, and Dallas. The Finals will be held in 2025 in Dallas. [3] [4] [5]

The previous U-18 Women's Softball World Cup was played in Lima, Peru in December 2021, with the United States winning their fourth consecutive world title, and eighth overall, following a dramatic 1–0 victory against Chinese Taipei in the final. [6]

Venue selection

On 13 December 2023, the World Baseball Softball Confederation announced Dallas as the host for one of the groups and the Finals. This will mark the first time that Dallas has hosted a softball World Cup at any category. The United States has hosted the U-18 Women's Softball World Cup (previously called the Junior Women's Softball World Championship and U-19 Women's Softball World Cup) six times in the past. [7]

On 21 December 2023, it was announced that the tournament would return to China after 21 years. Nanjing hosted the event in 2003. This will be the third Softball World Cup on Chinese soil, having also hosted the 2006 Women's Softball World Championship in Beijing. [8]

The same day, Sao Paulo was announced as the host city for the other group. Brazil will host a Softball World Cup for the first time, becoming the 16th nation to host a Women's Softball World Cup, across all categories. Counting Men's Softball World Cups, Brazil will be the 20th host nation of a global softball event. [9]

Group A was played in São Paulo, Brazil, from 23 to 27 July. Group B was be played in Pingtan, China, from 14 to 18 August. Group C was played in Dallas, United States, from 29 August to 2 September.

Group AGroup BGroup C & Finals
Flag of Brazil.svg São Paulo, Brasil Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Pingtan, China Flag of the United States.svg Dallas, United States
Estádio Municipal de Beisebol Mie Nishi Pingtan Softball Stadium The Village Dallas
Estadio Municipal de Beisebol Mie Nishi.jpg
Capacity: 2,500Capacity: 5,030Capacity:

Competition format

Under the new format, the Group Stage and Finals of the World Cups are played in consecutive years. A total of 18 teams will participate in the U-18 Women's Softball World Cup, distributed in three different groups for the Group Stage. Two teams from each group, plus two wild cards, will advance to the Finals, to be played in 2025.

Each group of six teams will play a single round robin, with the top four teams in the standings advancing to the play-offs. The play-offs will open with a knockout match between the third- and fourth-placed teams, followed by a one-on-two matchup, with the winner earning the first available ticket to the finals. The winner of the first game (3 vs. 4) and the loser of the second game (1 vs. 2) will meet in the Repechage Game, in a winner-takes-all competition for second place in next year's Finals.

The wildcard designation criteria for the Finals are (in order):

Criteria 1: A wildcard spot secured for the host country;

Criteria 2: Team(s) with the best third-place finish in the Group Stage, based on the final standings of the previous edition of the World Cup;

Criteria 3: Team(s) in third place in the Group Stage based on the highest position in the WBSC World Ranking at the end of the previous calendar year.

During the final phase, after a group round-robin, the top two seeds from each group advance to the Super Round, while the number three and four seeds will compete in the Placement Round. The number one and two seeds after the Super Round will compete in the World Cup Final. The third and fourth-place finishers will play for bronze.

Classification and participating nations

With the approved format of 18 national teams, the WBSC has distributed the continental quotas as follows: [1] [2]

The participants were determined through the continental championships. Due to the absence of national teams and qualifying tournaments in Africa, the two available spots for this continent were granted as invitations to teams that did not qualify through their respective continental championships. [17]

TeamRankingPrevious appearances
(Last time)		Best position
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 114 (2021)Champions ( 1987 , 1995 , 2007 , 2011 , 2015 , 2017 , 2019 , 2021)
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 226 (2019)Seventh (2011, 2013)
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 1713 (2019)Champion ( 1985 )
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 99 (2021)Fifth (2021)
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 68 (2019)Ninth (1987, 1995, 2015)
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland 212 (2019)14.º (2019)
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 313 (2019)Champion ( 1981 , 1991 , 1999 , 2003 , 2013 )
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg  Chinese Taipei 413 (2021)Runners-up (2021)
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 3311 (2019)Fourth (2013)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1013 (2019)Third ( 1991 , 1995, 2003, 2007, 2013)
Flag of Puerto Rico.svg  Puerto Rico 27 (2021)Third (2015, 2017, 2021)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 513 (2019)Third (2019)
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 78 (2021)Fourth (2021)
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru 142 ( 2021 )Sixth ( 2021 )
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 332 (2021)Eighth (2021)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain 133 (2017)Ninth (2013)
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 812 (2021)Sixth (1985, 1987, 2007 )
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 154 (2017)Ninth (2003)

Year in italics means venue of the event. Year in bold means champion of the event.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Softball World Cup</span> International womens softball tournament

The Women's Softball World Cup is a fastpitch softball tournament for women's national teams held historically every four years, now every two years, by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). The tournament, originally known as the ISF Women's World Championship, was sanctioned by the International Softball Federation (ISF) until that body's 2013 merger with the International Baseball Federation to create the WBSC. The number of teams in the tournament began at five in its inaugural event in 1965, went to a high of 28 for the 1994 edition, and now the WBSC Code legislates that the maximum number of teams that may participate is 16. There are qualifying tournaments that determine which countries will play at the World Cup.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation Europe, known as WBSC Europe, was established on February 10, 2018, during a Congress of the Confederation of European Baseball and the European Softball Federation in Val d’Europe, France. the establishment of WBSC Europe followed the historic merger of the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) and the European Softball Federation (ESF). As of September 2022, WBSC Europe counts 40 members for baseball and 39 for softball.

The Women's Baseball World Cup is an international tournament in which national women's baseball teams from around the world compete. Through its 2012 edition, it was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation; following the 2013 merger of the IBAF with the International Softball Federation, subsequent tournaments are sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). In the nine times it has been held, the tournament has been won twice by the United States and seven consecutive times by Japan in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2024.

The WBSC World Rankings is a ranking system for national teams in baseball, softball, and baseball5. The teams of the member nations of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), baseball's world governing body, are ranked based on their tournament results with the most successful teams being ranked highest. A point system is used, with points being awarded based on the results of WBSC-recognized international tournaments. Under the existing system, rankings are based on a team's performance over the last four years, with major international tournaments awarded a higher weighting compared to minor international and continental tournaments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U-15 Baseball World Cup</span> International youth baseball event

The U-15 Baseball World Cup is the 15-and-under baseball world championship that features national teams as authorized ("sanctioned") by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). It began in 1989 as the World Youth Baseball Championship. In 2012 it became the 15U Baseball World Cup and is contested every two years. Because it is a world championship event, the results of the 15U Baseball World Cup affect the WBSC World Rankings.

The U-18 Men's Softball World Cup is a fastpitch softball tournament for age 19-and-under national teams held every four years by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, formerly the International Softball Federation (ISF).

The U-18 Women's Softball World Cup is a fastpitch softball tournament for age 18-and-under national teams held by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). Prior to the 2021 edition, the tournament was an under-19 tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U-23 Baseball World Cup</span> Baseball world championship

The U-23 Baseball World Cup is a biennial, professional-level, National Team, baseball world championship of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), replacing Baseball World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBSC Premier12</span> World baseball tournament

The WBSC Premier12 is the international baseball tournament organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), featuring the 12 highest-ranked national baseball teams in the world. The first tournament was held by Taiwan and Japan in November 2015. The second tournament, 2019 WBSC Premier12, was held in November 2019, and served as a qualifier for two teams for baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

The 2020 U-23 Baseball World Cup, officially III U-23 Baseball World Cup, is the third edition of the U-23 Baseball World Cup tournament, fourth since the tournament's inception in 2014 as the 21U Baseball World Cup. Originally scheduled to take place in 2020, the event was postponed to 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament is held from September 23 to October 2, in Ciudad Obregón and Hermosillo, Mexico, with 12 teams participating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baseball5 World Cup</span> Mixed-gender Baseball5 tournament

The Baseball5 World Cup is a mixed-gender Baseball5 (B5) world championship that occurs every two years, with the first edition held in 2022 in Mexico and contested by 12 countries. It is governed by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexico national Baseball5 team</span>

The Mexico national Baseball5 team represents Mexico in international Baseball5 competitions.

The Lithuania national Baseball5 team represents Lithuania in international Baseball5 competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Women's Softball World Cup</span> Womens international softball tournament

The 2024 Women's Softball World Cup was the 18th Women's Softball World Cup, an international softball tournament taking place in Balbriggan, Ireland; Buttrio and Castions di Strada, Italy and Valencia, Spain. The group stage took place from 11–26 July 2023, held as three separate groups across three nations. The finals took place in Buttrio and Castions di Strada, Italy from 15–20 July 2024. This was the first WBSC event to be held in two stages. It was the first time Ireland, Italy and Spain had hosted a major softball tournament. It also was the first time more than one nation hosted the tournament.

The 2024 Women's Baseball World Cup was the 9th Women's Baseball World Cup, an international baseball tournament that was held in Thunder Bay, Canada and Miyoshi, Japan. The group stage took place from 8 to 13 August 2023 as two separate tournaments in two separate locations. The finals took place in Thunder Bay, Canada in 2024. This was the first Women's Baseball World Cup event that held in two stages. It was the third time Canada has hosted the tournament. It was also the first time more than one nation has hosted the tournament. Japan were the defending champions and successfully defend the title.

The 2023 U-23 WBSC Men's Softball World Cup is the inaugural U-23 Men's Softball World Cup, an international softball tournament taking place in Paraná, Argentina from 15 to 23 April 2023. Originally scheduled for October 2022, the tournament was postponed due to a number of reasons. The bidding process was reopened and once again awarded to Paraná in Argentina.

Group A of the 2024 Women's Softball World Cup will take place from 11 to 15 July 2023 in Balbriggan, Republic of Ireland. The group consists of host nation Ireland, Chinese Taipei, United States, Great Britain, Australia and Botswana. The United States and Australia advanced to the Finals to be held in 2024, with the United States going undefeated winning all four of their games.

Group B of the 2024 Women's Softball World Cup will take place from 18 to 22 July 2023 in Valencia, Spain. The group consists of host nation Spain, China, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Netherlands and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U-15 Women's Softball World Cup</span>

The U-15 Women's Softball World Cup is an international youth women's softball tournament, organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and held every four years. The 2023 U-15 Women's Softball World Cup was the first edition of the U-15 Women's Softball World Cup, held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 21 to 29, and featured 12 national teams from five continents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 U-15 Women's Softball World Cup</span> International softball tournament

The 2023 U-15 Women's Softball World Cup was the first edition of the U-15 Women's Softball World Cup held in Tokyo, Japan, from October 21 to 29, and featured 12 national teams from five continents. It was the first world junior softball championship played in Japan, after three Women's Softball World Cups were organized in 1970 in Osaka, 1998 in Fujinomiya and 2018 in Chiba.

References

  1. 1 2 "WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup groups announced". www.insidethegames.biz. 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  2. 1 2 "Dallas to host WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup group in 2024, Finals 2025". Playeasy. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  3. ↑ leonardo (2024-03-12). "Softbol femenino se prepara para el clasificatorio sub-18". Noticias SIN (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  4. ↑ "Dallas, EE.UU. será sede del grupo de la Copa Mundial de Softbol Femenino Sub-18 WBSC en 2024, Finales 2025". World Baseball Softball Confederation (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  5. ↑ "World Baseball Softball Confederation - II U-18 Women's Softball World Cup 2025 - Finals". www.wbsc.org. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  6. ↑ Mundial, Beisbol (2021-12-13). "Estados Unidos campeonas mundiales en softball U-18". Beisbol Mundial (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  7. ↑ "USA Softball to host 2024 WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage event in Dallas, Texas with Finals to follow in 2025". USA Softball. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  8. ↑ admin (2023-08-27). "PINGTAN SET TO WIN THE HEARTS OF SOFTBALL VISITORS". SOFTBALL ASIA. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  9. ↑ Mundial, Softbol. "Sao Paulo, Brasil será la sede del grupo de la Copa Mundial de Softbol Femenino Sub-18 WBSC". www.softbolmundial.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  10. ↑ "Team Italy competes in U18 Softball World Cup Group Stage in Pingtan, China from August 14-18, 2024". Federazione Italiana Baseball Softball. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  11. ↑ "WBSC Europe - U-18 Women's Softball European Championship 2023". www.wbsceurope.org. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  12. ↑ "Japón venció a Chinese Taipei por el título asiático de Softbol Femenino Sub-18, ambos se clasifican para la Copa Mundial junto con China". World Baseball Softball Confederation (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  13. ↑ "Nueva Zelanda y Australia se clasifican para la fase de grupos de la Copa Mundial de Softbol Femenino Sub-18 WBSC". World Baseball Softball Confederation (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  14. ↑ América, AIPS (2024-04-14). "Definidos los clasificados a mundiales de softbol". AIPS América (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  15. ↑ "Canadá, Colombia, México, Perú y Puerto Rico obtienen boletos para la Copa Mundial de Softbol Femenino Sub-18 WBSC. Puerto Rico logra su primer título Panamericano". World Baseball Softball Confederation (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  16. ↑ "PH Blu Girls awarded wildcard slot in upcoming WBSC U-18 Women's Softball World Cup". onesports.ph. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  17. ↑ Staff. "Great Britain U-18 Women's Softball Awarded Wild Card Berth at WBSC U-18 Softball World Cup In Brazil". www.baseballsoftballuk.com. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.