The Houston Astros are currently the top contenders to host the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with the team expressing strong interest in the opportunity. While hosting the event would provide an exciting experience for baseball fans in Texas, there are also financial advantages for the Astros.

Matt Kawahara, reporting for the Houston Chronicle, highlighted the Astros’ interest in being a host site for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. The announcement of host cities is expected before the commencement of the 2024 MLB season.

In the 2023 edition of the World Baseball Classic, games were held in two U.S. cities (Miami and Phoenix) and two international cities (Tokyo and Taichung). The approach for the 2026 event remains uncertain.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Major League Baseball is leaning towards selecting the Central Time Zone for the event and prefers ballparks with retractable roofs. The Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers are currently the top two contenders to host the World Baseball Classic.

In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, 14 Houston Astros players participated, and a similar number is anticipated if the team maintains its current roster for the 2026 event.

Notably, Miami successfully sold out 11 of the 15 games played during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. If Houston achieves similar success, it would be a significant victory for the entire city.

Houston is actively seeking to be involved in major sporting events, as it is also one of the 16 sites for the 2026 World Cup.

Jon Conahan, a sports journalist who has covered major sports since 2019 and is a 2022 graduate of the Bellisario School of Journalism at Penn State University, provided this report. He has a background in D1 baseball.