Nov. 25, 2016

WBSC unveils updated Baseball World Rankings from No. 1 to 70

Japan extends lead as No. 1 after capturing U-23 Baseball World Cup ... Mexico advances to historical high of No. 6 in the world ... Australia moves into PREMIER12 territory at No. 11

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The World Baseball Softball Confederation today unveiled the updated 2016 standings in the Official WBSC Baseball World Rankings, which weigh a country’s entire National Team programme (from U-12 to Professional) in international competition over a four-year period (2013-2016).

The updated rankings follow the recent results of the U-23 Baseball World Cup® 2016, which awarded baseball’s biggest payout of ranking points this year, the U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 Americas and Asia qualifiers (COPABE U-18 Pan-Am Baseball Championship and BFA U-18 Asia Baseball Championship), the CEB European Baseball Championship and the CONSUBE South American Baseball Championship, and various international head-to-heads, including the WBSC Global Series 2016. Any points accumulated in the second-half of 2012 have now fully expired.

Global Top 12
Five continents, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Oceania, are represented within the Top 12 — the critical cutoff (in 2018) for qualifying for the flagship PREMIER12® 2019, which will be a main qualifier for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Japan has extended its lead as the top-ranked baseball nation after having earned the title of world champion in the U-23 category by winning the U-23 Baseball World Cup 2016 in Monterrey and Saltillo, Mexico, earlier this month. The world title in Mexico, along with 1st Place at the U-18 Asia Championship in September, has propelled Japan’s lead over No. 2 United States from 62 points to 741 points.

The United States won the U-18 Americas Championship in Monterrey, Mexico, in October to qualify into the U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 in Thunder Bay, and remain at No. 2 in the world rankings.

With a bronze at the U-23 Baseball World Cup, the Republic of Korea has solidified its No. 3 position and has advanced within striking distance of the No. 2 spot, closing the distance behind the U.S. from 641 to 105 points. Korea also gained points with a 3rd Place finish at the U-18 Asia Championship, which qualified the nation for the U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017.

Chinese Taipei and Cuba remain No. 4 and No. 5 in the rankings. Both nations won silver medals in their respective U-18 continental championships to qualify into the U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017.

Mexico has surged to No. 6 in the world, the nation’s highest-ever ranking, following a 5th Place finish in the U-23 Baseball World Cup and 3rd Place finish at the U-18 qualifier, which earned the nation a ticket to Thunder Bay. Mexico’s Men’s Professional National Team also split two games against No. 1 Japan in the WBSC Global Series 2016 at the Tokyo Dome two weeks ago.

Venezuela remains No. 7 and finished in 8th Place at the U-23 world championship.

Canadian National Teams, not including the Women’s National Team, were idle in international competition in 2016, as the nation dropped two places to No. 8.

Two-time defending European champions Netherlands overtook Italy as the highest-ranked nation in Europe, at No. 9, with Italy falling one spot to No. 10.

A historic silver medal at the U-23 Baseball World Cup advanced Australia two spots in the rankings to No. 11 in the world, placing the nation into PREMIER12 territory. In 2014, Australia fell just a few points shy of qualifying into the PREMIER12 2015.

Puerto Rico, No. 12, and Dominican Republic, No. 13, each dropped a spot in the rankings, with the Dominican Republic falling out of the Top 12.

Biggest Movers
South Africa made the biggest jump in the world rankings, advancing eight places to No. 28, while Peru (No. 42), Chile (No. 58) and Honduras (No. 64) all advanced six places.

Argentina, 9th Place finishers at the U-23 Baseball World Cup, advanced five spots to No. 22, tying the nation’s historical high.

MEN’S POINTS
1 Japan 5669
2 USA4928
3 Korea 4823
4 Taipei 4239
5 Cuba 3857
6 Mexico 3081
7 Venezuela 2684
8 Canada 2200
9 Netherlands 2071
10 Italy 2008

11 Austtralia 1933
12 Puerto Rico 1759
13 Dominican Republic 1559
14 Czech Republic 1362
15 Panama 1318
16 Nicaragua 1267
17 Brazil 1120
18 China 655
19 Colombia 603
20 Germany 587

21 Spain 536
22 Argentina 516
23 Russia 351
24 France 330
25 Pakistan 320
26 Hong Kong 277
27 New Zealand 258
28 South Africa 241
29 Great Britain 233
30 Belgium 220

31 Austria 219
32 Sweden 204
33 Croatia 153
34 Thailand 32
35 Guatemala 130
36 Lithuania 123
37 Philippines 119
38 Slovakia 113
39 Ukraine 110
40 Poland 105

41 Israel 104
42 Peru 101
43 Slovenia 99
44 Belarus 92
45 Romania 90
46 Greece 89
47 Bulgaria 88
48 Indonesia 76
49 Ireland 74
50 Switzerland 56

51 Serbia 50
52 Finland 39
52 Iran 39
54 Estonia 35
54 Sri Lanka 35
56 Mongolia 33
57 Hungary 29
58 Chile 28
59 Norway 25
60 India 20
60 Boliva 20

62 Latvia 19
63 Ecuador 13
64 Honduras 8
65 Curaçao 7
66 Georgia 5
66 Iraq 5
66 Singapore 5
69 Afghanistan 4
70 Nepal 1

71 Armenia
71 Denmark
71 Cyprus
71 Malta
71 Moldova
71 Portugal
71 Iceland
71 Brunei
71 Myanmar
71 Uzbekistan

71 Cambodia
71 Ivory Coast
71 Kenya
71 Lesotho
71 Mali
71 Morocco
71 Namibia
71 Nigeria
71 Togo
71 Uganda

71 Zambia
71 Zimbabwe
71 American Samoa
71 Aruba
71 Bahamas
71 Costa Rica
71 El Salvador
71 Federal States of Micronesia
71 Fiji
71 New Caledonia

71 Palau
71 Sierra Leone
71 Guam
71 Northern Mariana Islands
71 Cook Islands
71 Jamaica
71 Trinidad and Tobago
71 Guyana
71 Liberia
71 Kazakhstan

71 San Marino
71 Turkey
71 Samoa
71 Malta
71 Papua New Guinea
71 Solomon Islands
71 Burkina Faso
71 North Korea
71 Morocco

71 British Virgin Islands
71 Haiti
71 Virgin Islands
71 Ghana
71 Tunisia
71 Tanzania

Womens
1 Japan 2000
2 Canada 1333
3 USA 1180
4 Australia 1057
5 Venezuela 933
6 Chinese Taipei 907
7 Korea 430
8 Netherlands 403
9 Cuba 353
10 Hong Kong 343
11 India 160
12 Pakistan 100

We're No. 8 (men), we're No. 2 (women) in world rankings