Two spots of the eight allocated for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2027 that will take place April 5-11, 2027, in Australia will be decided next weekend.

A week from today—Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026—six teams will compete for two direct places in the World Cup Finals with the third-place finisher received the final Wild Card spot.

Teams from these six countries…

• Brazil
• China
• Mexico
• the Netherlands
• New Zealand
• USA

… will compete with hopes to capture these final spots to next year’s Finals.

The WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Oklahoma City, which takes place at Devon Park from September 12-15, brings together four of the world’s top eight teams along with a New Zealand program with a strong World Cup tradition and a Brazil side returning to the competition after a 10-year absence.

The six nations at Group Oklahoma City will complete the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup 2026/ 2027 Group Stage following earlier tournaments in Prague and Lima.

Each team will play a five-game round robin from September 12-15 before the top four advance to the playoffs on September 16.

The top two teams following the playoffs will claim a ticket to the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2027 in Redcliffe (Queensland), Australia.

The results in Oklahoma City will also determine the recipient of the final Wild Card.

Five teams have already secured places in the Final:

• Canada
• Chinese Taipei
• Japan
• Puerto Rico
• Australia

Canada and Chinese Taipei finished first and second in Group Prague, Japan and Puerto Rico advanced from Group Lima, and Australia received the host Wild Card.

The Finals 2027 will not only crown the next World Champion but also award the first qualification place for the LA28 Olympic Games to the highest-finishing eligible team, with USA already qualified as the Olympic hosts.

Group Oklahoma City hosts and world No. 2 USA enters the tournament as favorites, but the narrow margins separating No. 5 Netherlands, No. 7 China and No. 8 Mexico point to a highly competitive race for the two direct places.

New Zealand brings extensive World Cup experience, while Brazil returns to the global stage after last appearing in the competition in 2016.

Here’s a team-by-team look at each of those vying for a trip to Australia next year…

*****

USA – The Team to Beat on Home Soil

• WSWC Appearances: 17
• Highest Finish: Champions 11 times (1974, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2016, 2018)
• 2023/2024 Finish: Runners-up
• World Ranking: 2

The most decorated team in the history of the competition, Team USA has finished on the podium in 16 of the 17 editions of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup, winning 11 gold and five silver medals.

However, it enters the World Cup as the runner-up after losing its crown to Japan in 2024, going down 6-1 in the decisive game.

Olympic medalists Rachel Garcia and Dejah Mulipola bring experience to a team aiming to reclaim the world title in 2027 and win Olympic gold at LA28 on home soil.

At the recent USA Softball International Cup at Devon Park, right-handed pitcher Montana Fouts led USA to the title with a one-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over Japan in the final.

Fouts struck out eight, walked none and retired 21 of the 22 batters she faced. The USA pitching staff of Fouts, Garcia, Lexi Kilfoyl, Kelly Maxwell and Karlyn Pickens recorded two shutouts and combined for 37 strikeouts during the tournament.

USA also posted a .377 team batting average, collected 43 hits and outscored their opponents 40-10. Janae Jefferson led the team with a .545 batting average, followed by Maya Brady (.538) and Skylar Wallace (.455).

Anything short of winning the group would be a major surprise for USA.

*****

Netherlands – Building on an Historic 4^th Place Finish

• WSWC Appearances: 15
• Highest Finish: Fourth (2016, 2023/2024)
• 2023/2024 Finish: Fourth
• World Ranking: 5

The Netherlands matched their best World Cup finish in 2024, narrowly missing out on their first medal after an 11-7 loss to Canada in an 11-inning bronze medal game.

The Dutch led 5-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning before Canada completed the comeback with Callum Pilgrim’s walk-off grand slam in the 11th.

The second highest-ranked team in Oklahoma City, the Netherlands have finished in the top eight at each of the past six World Cups, a run dating back to Caracas 2010.

In 2025, the Netherlands lost the European Championship final 4-3 to rivals Italy in another extra-inning contest. Olympian Britt Vonk led the team with a .529 batting average, followed by Suka van Gurp (.476), Maxime van Dalen (.444) and Annemiek Jansen (.421).

In the circle, Lisa Hop and Eva Voortman posted almost identical numbers. Hop worked 20.2 innings with a 0.68 ERA, while Voortman recorded a 0.69 ERA across 20.1 innings.

*****

Mexico – Back on the World Cup Stage

• WSWC Appearances: 7
• Highest Finish: Fifth (1970, 2016)
• 2023/2024 Finish: Did not participate
• World Ranking: 8

Mexico return to the Women’s Softball World Cup after missing the previous edition.

The team secured its place in Oklahoma City by finishing fourth at the 2025 Pan American Championship in Monteria, Colombia, where it posted an 8-3 record.

Mexico fielded a young team at the continental championship, with no players from their Tokyo 2020 Olympic roster.

Sarah Perez (.448) and Daisy Muñoz (.393) led the offence, while Citlaly Gutierrez and Yanina Treviño carried most of the pitching workload. Gutierrez recorded a 2.07 ERA across 27 innings, while Treviño posted a 1.52 ERA in 23 innings.

Mexico finished in the top six in each of their two most recent World Cup appearances, placing fifth in Surrey in 2016, matching their best result, and sixth in Chiba in 2018.

The program subsequently made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, finishing fourth.

*****

China – Re-Establishing Its Place Among the Elite

• WSWC Appearances: 15
• Highest Finish: Silver medallists (1986, 1994)
• 2023/2024 Finish: Fifth
• World Ranking: 7

A leading force in women’s softball for decades, China returned to the World Cup Top 5 in 2024 for the first time in 12 years.

After finishing seventh in Haarlem in 2014 and Surrey in 2016, and 10th in Chiba in 2018, China placed 5^th at the Finals 2024 in Castions di Strada.

The country made an immediate impact in its first three World Cup appearances, winning silver medals in Auckland in 1986 and St. John’s in 1994, as well as bronze in Normal, Illinois, in 1990.

It then recorded four consecutive fourth place finishes before placing fifth in Whitehorse in 2012.

China also won Olympic silver at Atlanta 1996 and have competed at four Olympic Games: Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

After finishing runners-up at the 2025 Asia Cup with an 8-1 record, China will aim to secure a place in the Finals before turning their attention to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games and then moving on to the qualification pathway for LA28.

Ren Min has provided a consistent presence in the middle of the line-up, leading China at the World Cup Finals 2024 with a .500 batting average before hitting .440 with four home runs and 11 RBIs at the 2025 Asia Cup.

Yinan Chai has been a similarly steady presence in the circle, carrying much of China’s pitching workload at both events.

*****

Brazil – Returning After a Decade

• WSWC Appearances: 1
• Highest Finish: 12th (2016)
• 2023/2024 Finish: Did not participate
• World Ranking: 17

Brazil return to the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup after a 10-year absence for its second appearance in the sport’s premier international competition. The Verde-Amarela made their debut in Surrey in 2016, finishing 12th.

One of South America’s emerging programs, Brazil finished sixth at the 2025 Pan American Championship in Monteria, Colombia. The result secured qualification for the Lima 2027 Pan American Games, which will mark Brazil’s third appearance in the women’s softball competition after Rio 2007 and Toronto 2015.

Pitcher Fernanda Shiroma led Brazil in Monteria, working 33.1 innings and posting a 4-1 record, a 0.63 ERA and 35 strikeouts.

Caroline Mito (.385), Mayra Akamine (.382) and Mariana Pereira (.333) each batted above .300.

Advancing to the play-offs in Oklahoma City would represent a significant step for the returning Brazilian program.

*****

New Zealand – Seeking a Return to Former Heights

• WSWC Appearances: 17
• Highest Finish: Champions (1982)
• 2023/2024 Finish: 16th
• World Ranking: 26

Alongside Australia and USA, New Zealand is one of only three teams to have competed in all 17 editions of the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup.

The White Sox won the world title in Taipei City in 1982 and have claimed three additional medals, one silver and two bronze.

Its most recent medal came in 1990 in Normal, Illinois, where rain prevented the final against USA from being played. USA were awarded the title after completing the round robin undefeated, while New Zealand received silver.

New Zealand has not returned to the Top 5 since 1990, although it finished sixth in both 1994 and 2002. In the previous World Cup, it placed sixth in Group C in 2023 and finished 16th overall, its lowest position in the competition.

New Zealand is also one of 14 teams to have competed in Olympic softball. Their only appearance came at Sydney 2000, where it finished sixth with a 2-5 record.

The lowest-ranked team in Oklahoma City, the White Sox will need to outperform at least two higher-ranked opponents to reach the playoffs and take a step towards returning to the world’s Top 8.