Match between the teams of Cuba and Australia, in the Fifth World Baseball Classic, held at the Tokyo Dome Stadium in the capital of Japan, on March 15, 2023. Photo: Roberto Morejón Rodríguez (Jit Inder Newspaper)

Cuba rose to seventh place in the universal ranking after the celebration of the V World Baseball Classic.

The contest guaranteed

1,150 points to the winner, 953 to the runner-up, 905 to third and fourth places, and a minimum of 242 for participation.

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) today publishes the list led by Japan (5,323 points), followed by the United States (4,402) and Mexico (4,130), the latter climbing two places.

Chinese Taipei (4,061) and South Korea (4,049) complete the top five seats, with Venezuela (3,534) stable in sixth, Cuba rising from eighth to seventh with 3,151

;

and Australia doing the same towards ninth (2,600).

The Netherlands (3,089) lost one place and ranked eighth, while the Dominican Republic (2,415) anchored tenth.

Italy (2,017) was one of those that moved the most, moving up four positions in the ranking of the top 12.

Of the other entrants in the Classic, China gained seven places to 23rd place. Israel (18) and Great Britain (20) also gained two places.

The baseball world ranking includes all the results of the last four years in WBSC-sanctioned tournaments, from the U-12 World Cup to the so-called Premier 12 and the Classic.

The top 12 nations at the end of 2023 will qualify for the next edition of the WBSC Premier 12.

(Taken from JIT)