Konami Sponsors 2026 World Baseball Classic | Sportcal

Japanese video game developer Konami has signed on as a global sponsor for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), continuing a partnership that began with the 2023 tournament.

The 2026 WBC will see 20 teams compete across four first-round pools hosted in Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the U.S. Cities of Houston and Miami. The tournament is scheduled to begin on March 4th and culminate with the final game at Miami’s LoanDepot Park on March 17th.

The WBC, owned by Major League Baseball (MLB) through World Baseball Classic Inc. And operated in conjunction with the MLB Players Association, mirrors the format of international soccer’s FIFA World Cup, pitting national teams against one another in a high-stakes competition.

The 2023 edition of the tournament was won by Team Japan, spearheaded by Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. This victory further cemented Japan’s position as a dominant force in international baseball.

Konami’s sponsorship builds upon an existing global marketing partnership with MLB, established last year. This partnership centers around the company’s free-to-play mobile game, eBaseball: MLB Pro Spirit, and features Ohtani as a brand ambassador. Konami has a long history with baseball gaming, having developed several titles for the Japanese market over the past three decades, including Powerful Pro Baseball 2024-25 and Professional Baseball Spirits 2024-25, though these games are exclusively available in Japanese.

Organizers are actively securing broadcast partners to maximize the tournament’s reach. Recent agreements include a deal with Sportdigital, the German sports broadcaster, to air 40 matches on its streaming service, and a partnership with South Korea’s Tving to broadcast all 47 games live.

In the United States, media giant Fox holds the broadcast rights for the tournament, securing both English and Spanish-language coverage earlier this year. Fox will broadcast seven games, including three Pool B matches featuring the U.S. Team, two quarter-final games, and the championship final. The remaining games will be distributed across the FS1 and FS2 channels, as well as streaming platforms like the Fox Sports app, Fox One, and Tubi. Fox Deportes will air 28 games in Spanish, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final.

Global streaming giant Netflix has secured exclusive broadcast rights in Japan, marking its first foray into live sports coverage in the country. This move is significant, as the previous WBC edition saw six of Team Japan’s seven games attract over 30 million viewers on TV Asahi.

TNT Sports has been designated as MLB’s UK broadcast partner for the tournament, having previously shown select matches in the 2023 edition. Other international broadcasters confirmed to provide coverage include Astro (Malaysia), SpoTV (Southeast Asia), Sportsnet (Canada), TelevisaUnivision (Mexico), ESPN (Netherlands), BeIN Sport (France, MENA region), Sky Italia (Italy), Sport1 (Hungary), S Sport Plus (Turkey), and ESPN (Sub-Saharan Africa).

Konami’s continued involvement underscores the growing global appeal of the World Baseball Classic and the increasing intersection of sports and video game entertainment. The company’s established presence in the Japanese gaming market, combined with its expanding MLB partnership, positions it well to capitalize on the tournament’s international audience.