The Brief
The 2026 World Baseball Classic begins this week.
Fourteen Philadelphia Phillies will be representing their countries in the tournament.
Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Brad Keller are all on Team USA.
PHILADELPHIA – The World Baseball Classic tees off this week, with 20 teams fighting for the world title.
The Philadelphia Phillies will be well represented in this year’s WBC, with 14 players representing nine separate nations.
Advertisement
Here’s who the Phils are sending to the tournament:
Philadelphia Phillies going to the WBC
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MARCH 02: Bryce Harper #24 of Team USA gestures to Kyle Schwarber #12 during a workout at Papago Park Sports Complex on March 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
United States
Local perspective
This year’s Team USA squad will feature three Phillies:
Schwarber also represented the U.S. in 2023, when they fell just short, losing to Shohei Ohtani and Japan in the final. For Harper and Keller, this will be their first World Baseball Classic.
Mexico
Walker is representing Mexico for the second time in this WBC, and will enter his fourth season in Philadelphia this year.
Cristopher Sanchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Dominican Republic
This will be Sánchez’s first WBC appearance. He’s coming off a dominant 2025, going 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA and finishing second in the National League Cy Young voting.
Advertisement
Panama
Sosa is entering his fifth season in Philadelphia. He played all over the field in 2025, with more than 30 games each at second and third.
Brazil
The 24-year-old Barbosa has pitched just one inning in Spring Training so far this year. He spent all of 2025 in the minors, never making it higher than Double A.
Australia
Despite being born in South Africa, Neunborn will represent Australia in the WBC. Neunborn spent three seasons in the Australian Baseball League before joining the Phillies’ organization after the 2023 World Baseball Classic. In 2025, he spent his time between Double A and Triple A.
Advertisement
Netherlands
Estanista is ranked as the No. 27 prospect in the Phillies’ system. He made his debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2021.
Israel
Garrett Stubbs and his brother C.J. Stubbs (who is in the Blue Jays’ organization) are representing Israel in the WBC for the second time.
Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Italy
Nola is looking to bounce back from a rough 2025 season, in which he missed significant time due to a sprained ankle.
Nori was the Phillies’ first pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. His highest level of play in 2025 was just five games in Double A.
When does the 2026 World Baseball Classic start?
What’s next
The official start date of the World Baseball Classic is March 5. But, because the first game is in Tokyo, which is 14 hours ahead of Philadelphia, the first game between Chinese Taipei and Australia is at 10 p.m. on March 4.
Advertisement
Team USA’s first game will be against Brazil on March 6 at 8 p.m. on FOX.
The Source
Information in this story is from Baseball Reference, Major League Baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies.