The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced on Thursday hat Oklahoma City will host the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals. The final stage of the World Cup will be played at Devon Park from 27 September to 2 October.

Originally scheduled for Dallas, TX, the Finals have been relocated to Oklahoma City.

This move allows the world’s best U-18 players to compete in the largest purpose-built softball facility, which will also serve as the proposed venue for the softball competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The legendary Devon Park has hosted some of the world’s largest softball events, including the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Group C last year, the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS), the World Cup of Softball, Border Battle and various USA Softball National Championships across all age-divisions. 

Designed to accommodate the sport’s largest crowds, the complex has undergone several upgrades in recent years. The most recent improvements include an upper deck that increased capacity by 4,000 seats, a three-story press box, and upgraded ticket windows and entrances.

The WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup is the first to be played under the two-stage system. Last year, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Pingtan, China; and Dallas, USA hosted groups A, B and C respectively. 

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World No. 4 Chinese Taipei and No. 8 Czechia advanced out from Group A; No. 2 Japan and No. 12 China earned their ticket in Group B; while No. 1 USA and No. 6 Canada grabbed the two berths in Group C. No. 3 Puerto Rico and No. 9 Mexico were awarded a wild card (as the best third-place finishers) to participate in the Finals.

The eight teams will be split into two groups with an Opening Round scheduled on 27 and 28 September.

The top two teams from each group will play the Super Round on 29 and 30 September, with the World Championship Game scheduled on 1 October (October 2 serves as a rain day).