The following release was sent out on Thursday by the the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)… be sure to scroll down to see bios on each country’s team as previewed by the WBSC

CLICK HERE to see the Line Drive preview of the event published earlier this week.

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The WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2025 are a must-watch event for every softball fan.

The future of women’s softball will take center stage in Oklahoma City, Okla. at the oldest and most prestigious international youth softball competition and every pitch will be streamed live on GameTime, the WBSC’s subscription-based streaming platform.

Two subscription options are available for this event: Tournament Pass and Daily Pass. Fans can purchase their packages at gametime.sport.

For just $14.99, the Tournament Pass grants access to all 22 games of the Finals in Oklahoma City, live and on demand.

Fans who wish to follow the action for a single day can opt for the Daily Pass, available for $9.99, which includes all games scheduled on that day.

The Opening Round will feature two groups:

• Group A: Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, USA
• Group B: Czechia, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico

After two days of Opening Round action, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Round (29–30 September). The tournament will conclude with the World Championship Final on 1 October at 14:00 local time.

You can view the full schedule by clicking HERE.

In addition to GameTime’s global coverage, the tournament will be broadcast in Mexico by Megacable, one of the country’s largest telecommunications companies; in Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the Dominican Republic by 1 Baseball Network; in Taiwan by PTS; and in Japan by BS11.

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Previewing the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals

The international softball season will come to a close in spectacular fashion as eight of the world’s top teams battle for the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup 2025 title. The tournament opens Saturday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City and runs through 1 October.

The teams are divided into two groups of four:

• Group A: No. 2 USA, No. 4 Canada, No. 5 Chinese Taipei, No. 7 China
• Group B: No. 1 Japan, No. 3 Puerto Rico, No. 8 Mexico, No. 11 Czechia

The top two teams in each group will advance to the Super Round, where the finalists will be decided. From there, the two best sides will play for the World Championship title, while the next two will battle for bronze.

Group A

It’s going to be a battle for the ages in Group A of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals 2025, as all four teams have strong credentials to fight for a spot in the Super Round.

Historically, USA are the clear favourites to win the group. The hosts are riding a 42-game winning streak in this competition, dating back to 2015, and have captured the last four World Cup titles undefeated. Playing at home, they once again look like the team to beat.

However, Canada, China and Chinese Taipei – all ranked inside the world’s top seven – cannot be ruled out, as they will provide fierce opposition in the battle to challenge USA and secure a place in the next round.

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Canada

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 13
• Highest finish: 3rd (2019)
• 2021 finish: N/A
• World Ranking: No. 4

Canada has only missed one edition of the tournament: the 2021 World Cup in Lima, held in the aftermath of the pandemic. Despite finishing in the top 10 in each of their first 12 appearances – including seven top-five finishes – they had to wait until 2019 to secure their first medal, defeating Australia 5-4 in the bronze medal game.

They qualified for the Finals as Group C runner-up in Dallas last year, clinching their spot with a 9-2, five-inning win over Mexico in the repechage. As a team, they posted a .319 batting average across seven games, along with a 2.28 ERA.

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China

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 13
• Highest finish: World Champions (1985)
• 2021 finish: N/A
• World Ranking: No. 7

China participated in the first 13 editions of the tournament, missing only the 2021 World Cup in Lima, which was affected by the pandemic. They have finished in the top 10 on 12 occasions, including podium finishes in each of the first three editions: silver in 1981, world champions in 1985, and bronze in 1987. They remain one of only three nations to have lifted the world title, alongside USA and Japan.

They secured their place in the Finals as runner-up in Group B, finishing with a 4-1 record in a rain-shortened event in Pingtan. The team hit .277 collectively and recorded a 2.92 ERA in the circle.

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Chinese Taipei

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 13
• Highest finish: Silver medal (2021)
• 2021 finish: Silver medal
• World Ranking: No. 5

With 13 appearances in the competition, Chinese Taipei has only missed the World Cup once, in Brampton 2013. In Lima 2021, they earned the silver medal – their third podium finish after bronze medals in Taipei City 1999 and South Africa 2011. They went 6-1 in the Opening Round and advanced to the World Championship Final, where they fell to USA in a thrilling 1-0 game.

In 2024, they went undefeated to win Group A in Brazil, recording a 1.75 ERA and a .427 team batting average across six games.

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USA

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 14
• Highest finish: World Champions (1987, 1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
• 2021 finish: World Champions
• World Ranking: No. 2

USA is the most decorated nation in the history of the event, having won medals in all 14 previous World Cups, including six of the last seven titles and the last four consecutively.

The Americans are currently riding a 42-game winning streak, going undefeated since 2015. The streak began in Oklahoma City (nine games), and continued in Clearwater 2017 (nine games), Irvine 2019 (10 games), Lima 2021 (eight games) and Dallas 2024 (six games). Their last loss came in the 2013 World Championship Final, when Japan claimed gold with a 4-0 win in a rain-shortened six-inning game.

In the 2024 group stage, USA dominated with a .487 team batting average and a 0.26 ERA, outscoring their opponents 63-1.

Group B

With Japan reaching the podium in all 13 of their appearances – including 10 consecutive finals – and Puerto Rico claiming three bronze medals in the last four editions, they appear as the strongest contenders to advance from Group B. However, Czechia and Mexico have also proven they can challenge the world’s best and will look to secure their first-ever medal in the competition.

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Czechia

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 9
• Highest finish: 5th (2021)
• 2021 finish: 5th
• World Ranking: No. 11

Czechia, two-time European champions, are coming off their best result, a fifth-place finish in 2021 in Lima. They have competed in eight of the last nine editions, including the last six consecutively, finishing in the top 10 in the past three.

In Lima 2021, they missed out on the medal round after a 3-1 loss to Mexico cost them a shot at bronze. To qualify for the Finals this year, they placed second in Group A in São Paulo, closing with a decisive 7-1 win over New Zealand. They finished with a 5-2 record, hitting .308 as a team with a 1.91 ERA.

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Japan

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 13
• Highest finish: World Champions (1981, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2013)
• 2021 finish: N/A
• World Ranking: No. 1

Japan, the second most decorated nation in the tournament, has medaled in all 13 of their appearances and won five world titles, the most recent in Brampton 2013. They have reached the World Championship Final 12 times, including 10 in a row from 1991 to 2019.

After missing the 2021 edition, they are eager to return to the medal podium. They qualified for the Finals by sweeping Group B in China with a 5-0 record, leading the tournament with a 0.42 ERA and a .452 batting average, outscoring opponents 55-3.

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Mexico

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 8
• Highest finish: 4th (2021)
• 2021 finish: 4th
• World Ranking: No. 8

Mexico is making their sixth consecutive appearance, their longest streak at this level. Their best result came in Lima 2021, finishing fourth after a bronze-medal game loss to Puerto Rico (4-0). They previously finished fifth in Oklahoma City 2015.

They earned a wild card berth to these Finals after finishing third in Group C.

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Puerto Rico

• U18 WSWC Appearances: 7
• Highest finish: 3rd (2015, 2017, 2021)
• 2021 finish: 3rd.
• World Ranking: No. 3

Since debuting in Enschede 2007, Puerto Rico has appeared in every edition, earning three bronze medals in their last four participations. They have always finished in the top 10, with their lowest placement being 10th in Cape Town 2011.

After placing third in Group B last year, they received a wild card for the 2025 Finals. Puerto Rico posted a 3-2 record with a 2.00 ERA and a .234 batting average. With two silver medals at the U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup, they now aim to reach the U-18 World Championship Final for the first time.