18/09/2024 2 Minute Read

WBSC/KONAMI Men's Baseball World Ranking: Japan remains on top as Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and China rise following WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup

The latest WBSC/KONAMI Men's Baseball World Ranking sees Japan retain their top spot after winning the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024 in Shaoxing, China. Venezuela and Puerto Rico both boast record high positions in fourth and eighth respectively while El Salvador, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica are the biggest movers.

Japan’s position at the top of the WBSC/KONAMI Men's Baseball World Ranking was further consolidated after its U-23 national team clinched their third WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup title last week.

A resounding 5-0 victory over Puerto Rico in the final, played in Shaoxing, China, further solidified Japan’s supremacy at the top of international men's baseball, adding to the WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup, the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, the WBSC Premier12, the World Baseball Classic and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games titles. The only international men's baseball trophy missing from Japan's cabinet is the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

Following this latest update - which also includes points from the Prague Baseball Week, the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2025 Americas Qualifier, the Asia U-18 Baseball Championship in addition to the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup 2024 - Japan has 5,756 points, maintaining their firm grip on the number one spot in the world ranking, a position it has held since 2018.

Puerto Rico's silver medal finish represented its best-ever result in the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup, lifting it two places in the ranking to a record-high eighth with 3,122 points. Puerto Rico's highest ever ranking beats the 10th place it held on 3 September and its previous high of 11th in 2023.

Nicaragua, another standout performer in the WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup, earning their first-ever WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup bronze medal after defeating China 3-1 in the third-place game, rose one spot in the ranking to 16th, with 1,828 points.

WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup debutants China moved up to 20th place on 900 points after finishing fourth in Shaoxing. It's China's highest ranking since reaching 19th spot in 2021 and 18th in 2012.

Other Member Federation programmes which saw significant movement in the rankings include Chinese Taipei, who reached No. 2 in the WBSC/KONAMI Men's Baseball World Ranking for the first time since 2022 and Venezuela, who moved up one place to a record high of fourth with 3,941 points.

Rounding out the top five is USA with 3,687 points while the biggest movers include El Salvador, up eight places from 69th to to 61st, and Sri Lanka and Costa Rica, both up five places to 49th and 51st respectively.