The 2026 World Baseball Classic is upon us, and if the rosters are any indication, baseball fans are in for a spectacle unlike anything the sport has produced in recent memory.

Twenty national teams will descend upon Miami, Houston, San Juan, and Tokyo beginning March 5 for a 12-day tournament that promises to showcase the very best talent the game has to offer. But it is Team USA that has stolen the spotlight before a single pitch has been thrown, assembling a collection of stars so staggering that observers are reaching for the highest possible comparison: the 1992 Olympic basketball Dream Team.

The numbers back up the hype. Twenty-two of the 30 players on the American roster are All-Stars, a concentration of elite talent that is virtually unprecedented in international baseball competition. The lineup reads like a fantasy draft gone impossibly right. Aaron Judge, the towering Yankees slugger who has cemented himself as the most feared power hitter in the game, will anchor the middle of the order. Bryce Harper, the Phillies' perennial MVP candidate, brings his trademark intensity and clutch hitting. Bobby Witt Jr., the Kansas City Royals' dynamic shortstop who has blossomed into one of baseball's most complete players, adds speed, defense, and a dangerous bat.

Then there is Paul Skenes, the flame-throwing right-hander who has rapidly ascended to ace status and will lead a pitching staff deep enough to match up with any nation in the field. Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers' standout left-hander, will also toe the rubber for Team USA, though his involvement will be limited. Skubal is set to make just one start before returning to Detroit for spring training, a reminder that even amid the patriotic fervor of international competition, the 162-game marathon of the regular season looms large.

Not everything has gone according to plan, however. Late roster shakeups have injected a dose of reality into the proceedings. Corbin Carroll, the Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder who was expected to bring his dynamic speed and defense to the American roster, was forced to withdraw due to a hand injury. A Red Sox outfielder has been called up as his replacement. Meanwhile, Venezuela — always among the most dangerous teams in international play — suffered a significant blow when pitcher Pablo Lopez was lost to Tommy John surgery, a devastating development that will sideline the talented right-hander for the tournament and well beyond.

Pool play will unfold simultaneously across four venues, each carrying its own distinct atmosphere. Miami and Houston will host games on American soil, while San Juan brings the electric energy of Caribbean baseball culture and Tokyo offers the passionate, detail-oriented fandom that has made Japan a perennial powerhouse. The championship rounds will converge on Miami, where the tournament will crown its winner on March 17.

Beyond the on-field drama, the 2026 season carries a broader technological storyline. MLB's new Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System, which will be implemented across all spring training and regular season games this year, will also be in operation during the Classic, giving the global audience an early look at what promises to be one of the most significant rule changes in the sport's history.

The stage is set. The rosters are locked in. And when the first pitch is delivered on March 5, the baseball world will be watching to see whether Team USA's Dream Team can live up to its billing — and whether a challenger can rise to deny them.