Cuba drops to its lowest position ever, according to the new WBSC world rankings announced today

On Wednesday, the World Baseball Softball Organization (WBSC) announced an update to its world baseball rankings, showing Cuba's national team dropping two places, marking its lowest rank since the list was established in 2012.

Japan and Chinese Taipei continue to be the top two teams globally in this sport. Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea have climbed to third and fourth positions, with Mexico and Venezuela falling to fifth and sixth places.

The most significant progress was made by Palau, which rose 17 places to 56th after triumphing at the Pacific Mini Games; India, which moved up 12 places to 57th; and Laos, which ascended 11 places to 44th. The complete list is available here.

For the first time, Cuba's team dropped to 12th in the world rankings, marking its lowest position since it fell to 10th on August 11, 2021, and again reached the same rank on November 27, 2024.

This ranking update is the first based on the revised WBSC World Ranking Methodology and Guidelines, which were introduced in December 2024, with a slight update.

For major global events and Age Group World Cups, which occur biennially, like the WBSC U-12, U-15, U-18, and U-23 Baseball World Cups, as well as the WBSC 5 Baseball World Cups, two editions are considered in the rankings. The points from the earlier edition will be updated with the latest results when the rankings are finalized.

The Cuban team's 12th place finish serves as a cautionary signal to the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation, which aims to prevent a decline in ranking-based qualifying tournaments like the Premier12, even though the tournament will expand to 16 teams in its next edition in 2027.

In the last edition of the Premier12 tournament held in November, the island's senior team experienced a significant setback, ending at the bottom of Group B with a 1-4 record. Overall, they also finished in last place (11th), tied with Puerto Rico. This poor performance led to the dismissal of the team's director, Armando Johnson, and resulted in the promotion of the assistant coach, Germán Mesa, to the head position.

By 2025, there are still upcoming events that will contribute points to the world ranking, including the U-12 and U-18 World Cups, the U-10, U-15, and U-23 Pan American Games, as well as the first Copa América Baseball Tournament, scheduled from November 13 to 22 in Panama and Mexico.

The climax will occur in early 2026, as the sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic kicks off in March, featuring the top 16 teams worldwide vying for the title of true world champion.