The 2026 World Baseball Classic is set for the knockout stage. USA was able to squeak through the group stages thanks to a blowout win by Italy over Mexico.
It will be interesting to see if Japan can repeat as champions after knocking off USA the last time around. Japan has the most WBC titles, with three, while USA and the Dominican Republic each have one.
On this page, we’ll dive into the 2026 World Baseball Classic betting odds, providing one pick, two contenders, and one sleeper.
2026 World Baseball Classic Winner Betting Odds
Baseball odds for the World Baseball Classic are current as of March 12, 2026, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- USA (+130)
- Dominican Republic (+250)
- Japan (+370)
- Venezuela (+900)
- Puerto Rico (+1600)
- Italy (+1800)
- Canada (+4000)
- Korea (+5000)
Who Will Win the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
Dominican Republic (+250)
Dominican Republic is living up to expectations at the 2026 World Baseball Classic so far. They’ve won all four of their games: 7-5 vs Venezuela, 10-1 vs Israel, 12-1 vs Netherlands, and 12-3 vs Nicaragua.
Their murderer’s row on offense has been as good as advertised, especially Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who have been mashing throughout the tournament so far.
I got this at +450 odds before the tournament started, but there’s still value here. Considering how well Dominican Republic has played so far, I’d argue that they should be favored over USA. But that isn’t the case with the current pricing, so take advantage of that value at +250 odds.
2026 World Baseball Classic Contenders
USA (+130)
USA opened the group stage by beating Brazil 15-5, Great Britain 9-1, and Mexico 5-3 before losing to Italy 8-6. We all know how stacked this lineup is, led by Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh. We’re also going to see Logan Webb start against Canada, with Paul Skenes and perhaps even Joe Ryan available later in the tournament.
With that said, considering how USA has played in the last two games, this +130 price feels a bit inflated. Both Dominican Republic and Japan have looked better than USA throughout this tournament.
While things can obviously change as we go through the knockout rounds, I wouldn’t suggest laying this price right now.
Japan (+370)
The defending World Baseball Classic champions are still a formidable team, led by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Japan looked terrific in the group stage, beating Chinese Taipei 13-0, Korea 8-6, Australia 4-3, and Czechia 9-0.
While Ohtani isn’t expected to pitch, it was interesting to see him practice pitching against his teammates earlier this week. Does this mean that they’ll give him a chance to take the mound? Hard to say at this point, but it’s still intriguing.
Unlike USA, Japan actually looks like a value, as their odds have jumped from the opening line of +330 to +370, despite going undefeated in the tournament so far. However, we should note that Yamamoto will return to the Dodgers after his quarterfinals start, so if Japan advances, they won’t have their best pitcher.
2026 World Baseball Classic Sleeper Pick
Venezuela (+900)
Venezuela isn’t a traditional sleeper in that they’re fourth in odds, but at (+900), the price is long enough that they can deserve this label. If Venezuela won the tournament, it would be a shocking result, so I’m riding with them as my sleeper pick.
Coming off a tough 7-5 loss vs. Dominican Republic, Venezuela now has to face the defending champions in Japan in the quarterfinals. However, Venezuela has an excellent lineup, including Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Maikel Garcia, Wilyer Abreu, Ezequiel Tovar, and Eugenio Suarez.
I had Venezuela as my finalists before the tournament started, so I’m not going to pivot from that just yet. At +900 odds, they look like a solid value right now thanks to a dangerous offense.
