It marks the first-ever meeting between both countries in the tournament's history and is scheduled for Saturday, March 6th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time (New York).
Both teams are part of the Pool B group that includes Great Britain, Italy, and Mexico.
For teams that have already played, Australia defeated Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) 2-0 to start the tournament (recap here).
South Korea unloaded for four home runs to take down the Czech Republic 11-4 (recap here) before Australia also went on to beat the Czech Republic 5-1 during the second day (recap here).
Team Japan unloaded for 13 runs, with a Shohei Ohtani grand slam, to defeat Chinese Taipei by a score of 13-0 (recap here). Then Cuba stopped a late rally to defeat Panama 3-1 (recap here).
USA (-6000)
The favorites of the tournament are finally playing their first game, and it's against the country that most consider the weakest. If Nicaragua against the Dominican Republic was David vs Goliath, this is more like Sandor Clegane vs a toddler.
With 64 MLB All-Star selections, 20 Silver Sluggers, 12 Gold Gloves, six MVP awards, three Cy Young Awards, and three Platinum Gloves, the U.S. boasts the best World Baseball Classic roster in the tournament's history (read here for the full roster breakdown).
San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb is getting the start for the Americans. He led the entire National League with 224 strikeouts through an MLB-leading 207 innings, finishing the season with his second All-Star selection, his first Gold Glove, and fourth in National League Cy Young voting.
Catching for him will be the MLB home run leader in Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners), who is coming off a season considered to be the greatest by a catcher in MLB history after putting up 60 home runs and 125 runs batted in. He earned his first All-Star selection and his first Silver Slugger Award for the season.
Other guaranteed starters include reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) and 2024 AL MVP runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals).
Witt, 25, has led the entire MLB in hits in back-to-back seasons, while also coming off a 2025 campaign in which he led the league in doubles with 47 - two more than the previous year - and posted 38 stolen bases (tied for the third-most in the league).
Judge, 33, is coming off a year where he hit 53 home runs, 114 RBI, and led all of baseball in: batting average (.331), on-base percentage (.457), slugging percentage (.688), and OPS (1.114).
The other guaranteed starter is Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber (32). The veteran left-handed hitter led the NL in home runs with 56 (No. 2 in MLB behind Raleigh) and led all of MLB with 132 RBI. He finished as the NL MVP runner-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Team Japan superstar Shohei Ohtani.
As for the bullpen, they're loaded with a bunch of talent as well, lead by closer Mason Miller (San Diego), along with Brad Keller, 30 (Philadelphia Phillies), Garrett Cleavinger (31) and Griffin Jax (31) from the Tampa Bay Rays, Garrett Whitlock, 29 (Boston Red Sox), and Gabe Speier, 30 (Seattle Mariners).
As the youngest reliever on the team at 27, Miller is considered the most ferocious reliever in baseball after coming off back-to-back seasons tossing 104 strikeouts in 65 innings or less. His fastball can reach close to 105 mph, along with a disgusting slider that has over a 55% whiff rate,
And, surprisingly, he's the only All-Star in Team USA's bullpen, all of whom finished the 2025 season with an ERA below 2.65 besides Jax (4.23).
Brazil (+1900)
Even though Brazil doesn't have the star power like most teams in the tournament do, especially after Bo Bichette withdrew from the tournament, they do have some next-generation talent that baseball fans want to keep an eye on.
The first is Joseph Contreras, a six-foot-five 17-year-old and the youngest player in the entire tournament, who is currently ranked as the 36th top prospect for this year's MLB Draft. He's the son of former World Series champion Jose Contreras, who spent 11 seasons in the MLB.
Joseph's fastball can reach up to 99 mph with a cutter that's around 91 mph. But his knockout pitch is the splitter/forkball that breaks with force - making some argue he's the best high school pitcher on the planet.
The next is recently drafted outfielder Lucas Ramirez, the son of Boston Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez. During the WBC qualifiers last year, Ramirez hit .385 with a double and two RBI in the team's three games.
The 20-year-old batted .266 with eight doubles, six triples, and three home runs (51 total hits) with 30 RBI across 60 minor league games in 2025. Don't let the low power numbers fool you. Ramirez can show off a power swing similar to his father's.
In terms of veterans, look no further than Leonardo Reginatto. The 35-year-old has played for Brazil on every single national tournament stage. Like Ramirez, he also hit .385 at the qualifiers with four RBI. He hit 16 home runs and 51 RBI in the Mexican League last year and batted .287.
The other veteran who will be coming out of the bullpen is the 33-year-old hard-throwing Thyago Vieira. He has 14 years of professional experience, playing in the MLB, NPB (Japan), minor leagues, and a handful of others.
Eric Pardinho, 25, a Toronto Blue Jays prospect, will be coming out of the pen with Viera. He had a rough go at it during the qualifiers, giving up four walks and one run in four innings of work. In 21 games during the 2025 minor league season, Pardinho tossed a 4.74 ERA in 21 games, almost hitting a brutal 2.000 WHIP
The USA will (probably) bulldoze their way over Brazil, but the team does have some young players that could take advantage of the opportunity this tournament presents to showcase what they're made of on the biggest stage.
