“Revoke his passport” – Harrison Bader committing to Team Israel for 2026 WBC does not sit well with MLB fans

Minnesota Twins star Harrison Bader on Tuesday announced that he will play for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic next year.

“Revoke his passport” – Harrison Bader committing to Team Israel for 2026 WBC does not sit well with MLB fans

Harrison Bader (Image via Facebook/Minnesota Twins)

Minnesota Twins slugger Harrison Bader made a major announcement on Tuesday. The 30-year-old confirmed that he will represent Team Israel during the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) next year.

The WBC will return next year after three years. The previous edition was the first international baseball tournament since 2017. It saw a total of 20 teams participate in it with Team Japan triumphing over Team USA in the 2023 final.

As the preparation for the next tournament begins, Bader has committed himself to representing the European nation. The center field is actually born in Bronxville, New York. However, he identifies himself as Jewish as his father is Jewish. As a result of this, he has been allowed to play for Team Israel instead of the United States of America.

The Twins star announced this decision while appearing on The Max Mannis Podcast. He was originally planning to play in the 2023 edition for Israel but had to pull out due to an injury. This time, he is feeling healthy and hopes to remain in that shape when the event commences next year.

I’m looking forward to playing for Team Israel in 2026 for the World Baseball Classics, that’ll be amazing… I’m fully healthy, I plan on being fully healthy, and it’s something I’m certainly looking forward to doing, so that’ll be super cool for so many reasons, yeah.

Harrison Bader said

Israel, who appeared in the quarter finals in the 2017 edition, participated in the previous one as well. In the 2023 tournament, they were unable to qualify for the knockout stages after winning just 1 of their 4 games.

Social media reacts to Harrison Bader committing himself to Team Israel for 2026 WBC

The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) turned out to be a massive hit for the MLB. The success of that tournament has led to huge excitement among fans for the 2026 edition. However, the news of Harrison Bader committing himself to play for Team Israel has not sat well with the fans on social media.

Harrison Bader
Harrison Bader (Image via MLB)

The news of him choosing to represent Israel ignited wild reactions on X. Fans were not at all happy to see him play for Israel due to the ongoing military and political conflict between them and Palestine. One user on X wrote, “revoke his passport” while reacting to this.

Check out that and some other fan reactions from X below:

Meanwhile, ex-Detroit Tigers star Ian Kinsler will return as the coach of Team Israel for the 2026 event. He participated and won the tournament in 2017 with Team USA. During the 2023 edition, he took the role of team coach. However, he was unable to lead his side to the knockout phase.

Which other teams will participate in 2026 WBC along with Harrison Bader’s Israel?

Harrison Bader’s Israel team is one of the 20 participants in the 2026 WBC. Along side previous finalists, Team USA and Japan, 17 more teams will compete in the next tournament.

Team Japan
Team Japan celebrating their 2023 WBC win (Image via CNN)

A total of 16 teams had already qualified for this event as a result of finishing in the top four of their pool standings during the 2023 event. 4 more teams joined the competition through the qualification tournament.

The teams that will play in the 2026 WBC are:

  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Chinese Taipei
  • Colombia
  • Cuba
  • Czechia
  • Dominican Republic
  • Great Britain
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Puerto Rico
  • South Korea
  • United States
  • Venezuela

The final of this event will once again be played at the loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, home of the Miami Marlins on March 17, 2026.