Venezuela STUN USA 3-2 in WBC Final to Claim 1st Championship Title

Venezuela were crowned 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) champions as they edged out Team USA 3-2 in the final.

Venezuela STUN USA 3-2 in WBC Final to Claim 1st Championship Title

Team Venezuela celebrating the WBC win (Image via Instagram/@mlb)

Venezuela are the best team in baseball in 2026. On Tuesday, they stunned Team USA 3-2 in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) final to capture their 1st Championship title.

A day before this showdown, Venezuela reached the finals for the first time in their history as they knocked out a spirited Italy side 4-2 in the semi-finals. Before that, they knocked out Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan in the quarter-finals and ended their title defense.

The USA, on the other hand, had taken down the Dominican Republic 3-2 on Sunday to reach their third consecutive WBC final. With the final played at the loanDepot Park in Miami, the United States had the home advantage.

Venezuela opened the scoring in the third inning. After giving up a single to Salvador Perez and a walk to Ronald Acuna Jr., pitcher Nolan McLean threw a wild pitch. This allowed Perez to reach third while Acuna Jr. made his way to second base.

A pitch after this, Maikel Garcia would hit a line drive to the center field. While he got caught out, he was able to drive in a run through a sacrifice fly.

A solo home run from Wilyer Abreu extended their lead. The Boston Red Sox star would crush the ball to center field in the 5th inning to make it a 2-0 game.

The USA did fight back. With two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning, Bryce Harper came up big for his country and smashed a 2 run home run off Andres Machado to tie the game at 2-2.

Just when it seemed that the momentum was back in favor of the United States, Venezuela struck again. In the top of the 9th inning, Eugenio Suarez hit a go-ahead double for his team and gave his team a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, Daniel Palencia would take the mound for his team. He would first strike out Kyle Schwarber before getting Gunnar Henderson to pop out to third base.

The relief pitcher would then get Roman Anthony to strike out swinging for the final out. Venezuela thus captured their first WBC title as they took down America 3-2 in the final.

For Team USA, it was sort of deja vu for them. For a second successive edition, they lost in the final game at home with a 3-2 scoreline.

Venezuela’s Maikel Garcia named 2026 WBC MVP

Venezuela will be partying hard tonight following their World Baseball Classic triumph. Their infielder Maikel Garcia was named as the MVP of the tournament as his strong performances helped his nation claim the championship.

Maikel Garcia of Venezuela
Maikel Garcia (Image via X/@itsbillnasty)

The 26-year-old had a breakout season in 2025 with the Kansas City Royals. He batted with a .286/.351/.449 slash line and hit 16 home runs and had 74 RBIs in 160 games.

He would earn his first All-Star nomination in July last year. In December, he agreed to a 5-year, $57.5 million contract extension with the Royals.

In the 2026 WBC, Garcia bat was hot again as he batted with a .385 average. He hit 1 home run and had 7 RBIs, including the sacrifice fly in the final. After leading the offense of the team, he was judged the MVP of the tournament.

Garcia now joins the likes of Daisuke Matsuzaka (2006 and 2009), Robinson Cano (2013), Marcus Stroman (2017) and Shohei Ohtani (2023) as the player to win the MVP of the WBC. Meanwhile, Venezuela became the 4th team to win this tournament after Japan, Dominican Republic and USA.

The attention will now turn towards the Opening Day of the 2026 season. The new season of MLB will begin next Wednesday, on March 25, as the New York Yankees travel to San Francisco to take on the San Francisco Giants.

Also Read: