Format- 32 teams placed in 8 groups of 4
- At least one team from each region (Americas, Europe/Africa, Middle East/Asia/Australia) and no more than 2 teams from each region per group
- 15 game schedule
- Top 2 teams in each group after 15 games advance to knockout stage
- Round of 16 = Best of 3
- Quarterfinals = Best of 5
- Semifinals = Best of 5
- Championship = One single winner-take-all game
Group A Preview
Belgium
Hitter to Watch: 3B Foppe Toes put up a 113 OPS+ in 60 games for the New York Yankees in 1949 and a 182 OPS+ in 28 games in the Euro-African Cup
Pitcher to Watch: CL Ivar den Besten has won back to back Reliever of the Year Awards for Olympique Lyonnais in the EBL and posted 4.2 WAR in 103 IP in 1949
Mexico
Hitter to Watch: LF Alex Delgado accumulated 4.6 WAR for the Tigres del Licey in the PLC in 1949 and hit .449 over 205 PA in the AmeriCaribbean Cup
Pitcher to Watch: Recent New York Giants signee RP Lorenzo Cotto posted 2.5 WAR as a rookie for Panama Metro in 1947 before a torn UCL cost him 21 months
South Korea
Hitter to Watch: CF Su-min Hong hit .306 with a +9.4 ZR in CF for the Chicago White Sox in 1949
Pitcher to Watch: RP Jun-young Yoon pitched to a 3.17 ERA in 65.1 IP out of the bullpen for the Baltimore Elite Giants of the USBA in 1949
United States
Hitter to Watch: LF Ted Williams of the Cleveland Indians led the MLB in 1949 with a .495 OBP and 1.118 OPS on his way to an 8.4 WAR season
Pitcher to Watch: SP Elvin Stabelfeld of the recently promoted Daytona Beach Islanders won the Outstanding Pitcher Award in the CBL in '47 and in the USBA in '48 and '49
Predictions
1.
United States
2.
Mexico
3. South Korea
4. Belgium
Group B Preview
Brazil
Hitter to Watch: 2B Yoshio Denfort dominated the CSB with Club Atlético Peñarol in 1949, slashing .345/.421/.558 and winning the MVP with 9.0 WAR
Pitcher to Watch: CL Simone Coqueiro pitched out of the pen for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in 1949 with a 3.52 ERA and 2.3 WAR in 87 IP
Colombia
Hitter to Watch: 3B Eddie Baca slugged 20 HRs and hit .283 with 3.4 WAR for Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras in 1949
Pitcher to Watch: SP Julio Bustamante carried the Boston Braves back to the MLB via promotion with a 22-6 record and 2.66 ERA over 253.1 IP
Taiwan
Hitter to Watch: New St. Louis Cardinal 1B Zhong-yi Che won 4 consecutive batting titles and Silver Sluggers to go along with 2 MVPs for Liverpool B.C. in the EPL
Pitcher to Watch: Another new St. Louis Cardinal is RP Ning Chieu, who recorded 13 saves and a 2.33 ERA in 73.1 IP for the Ottawa Senators in BC
Tunisia
Hitter to Watch: CF Safiy Ratib's elite defense (+18 ZR) and .281 average led him to 5.1 WAR for the St. Joseph Mustangs out of the AmBL in 1949
Pitcher to Watch: SP Mika'il bin Zakiy went 12-8 with a 3.08 ERA and 5.5 WAR in 24 starts for the St. Louis Cardinals after pitching to a 304 ERA+ in the Euro-African Cup
Predictions
1.
Taiwan
2.
Brazil
3. Colombia
4. Tunisia
Group C Preview
Austria
Hitter to Watch: CF Hannes Vastic put up 13 HR and a 135 OPS+ to lead B.C. København in the EPL this past season
Pitcher to Watch: RP Florian Leismuller has won 2 consecutive Reliever of the Year Awards pitching for the Mooresville Zephyrs in the UBL
Costa Rica
Hitter to Watch: 2B Jose Guadalajara put up a .343 batting average in 121 games with the Indianapolis Clowns in the 1949 MLB season
Pitcher to Watch: CL Sandy Madera struggled in his rookie PLC campaign with Club Deportivo Atlético Marte in 1949 but carries immense potential
Ireland
Hitter to Watch: 3B Fred Smith won the 1949 EPL Silver Slugger at 3B after a scorching 156 OPS+ and 6.7 WAR playing for Inter Milan
Pitcher to Watch: SP Quigley Murphy posted 3.3 WAR and a 3.55 ERA in 223 IP for his sophomore EPL campaign with Atlético Madrid
Saudi Arabia
Hitter to Watch: RF Sofian Makin hit 21 HR and totaled up 4.9 WAR in 140 games with the Fort Worth Cats out of the USBA in 1949
Pitcher to Watch: CL Naif Na'il Ka'im racked up 11 saves and a 3.18 ERA in 65 IP of relief for Al-Merrikh Sporting Club of the ArBL in 1949
Predictions
1.
Ireland
2.
Austria
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Costa Rica
Group D Preview
Argentina
Hitter to Watch: RF Jesus Causor has won back to back Silver Sluggers in the CSB for the Navegantes del Magallanes and batted .435 in the AmeriCaribbean Cup
Pitcher to Watch: RP Tony Musante was the 2nd round pick for Club Atlético Peñarol in 1949 needs some polish but has excellent bullpen potential
Italy
Hitter to Watch: RF Danilo Ponti slugged 30 HRs and 123 RBIs in 142 games for the New York Yankees to go along with a 157 OPS+ in the Euro-African Cup
Pitcher to Watch: SP Girard Marciano put up 5.9 WAR for the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1949 USBA season, going 17-11 with a 2.59 ERA in 260.1 IP
Russia
Hitter to Watch: CF Flipp Katunenko led the BASR with 122 RBIs and 33 SBs to go along with 8.6 WAR and a .332/.408/.546 slash line for Vasas B.C.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Pavpv Matisov of BK Shakhtar Donetsk led the BASR in ERA for the 2nd consecutive year, posting a 2.08 ERA and 10.3 WAR in 272 IP
Sudan
Hitter to Watch: RF Numan bin Anis put together a strong 4.6 WAR year for the Calgary Flames in Canada with 21 HRs and 102 RBIs.
Pitcher to Watch: SP Jawwad Kwame struggled for the Washington Senators with a 4.52 ERA but keeps the ball on the ground and will have an elite defense behind him.
Predictions
1.
Italy
2.
Russia
3. Sudan
4. Argentina
Group E Preview
Australia
Hitter to Watch: Former #1 draft pick CF Ronald Pride of the AuBL’s Auckland Tuatara won a Gold Glove in his rookie campaign and totaled 3.5 WAR
Pitcher to Watch: RP Brett Crossingham had 13 saves and a 217 ERA+ in 73 IP scattered over 43 relief appearances for the Miami Marlins in 1949
Dominican Republic
Hitter to Watch: LF Edgar Ballesteros slashed .312/.418/.463 for Club Deportivo Atlético Marte and hit .424 for the Dominican team in the AmeriCaribbean Cup
Pitcher to Watch: Recent Atlético Madrid signee SP Domingo Romo has a career 137 ERA+ in 100 GS for Celtic B.C. and had a 153 ERA+ in the AmeriCaribbean Cup
France
Hitter to Watch: LF Alain Dumas mashed 26 HRs and 101 RBIs as part of a stellar 4.5 WAR rookie campaign for the Detroit Tigers in 1949
Pitcher to Watch: SP Allan Gauthier led the EPL in ERA (1.57) and WHIP (0.86) in his 9.3 WAR 1949 season with A.S. Roma
Turkey
Hitter to Watch: LF Melik Erbakan won a Silver Slugger for Besiktas Jimnastik Kulübü with a stellar 152 OPS+ and 24 HRs in the 1949 ArBL season
Pitcher to Watch: Đdris Korcan won the ArBL’s 1949 Outstanding Pitcher Award for Al-Ain B.C., going 23-6 with a 2.52 ERA and 6.6 WAR in 271.2 IP
Predictions
1.
France
2.
Dominican Republic
3. Australia
4. Turkey
Pitcher to Watch: Recent Atlético Madrid signee SP Domingo Romo has a career 137 ERA+ in 100 GS for Celtic B.C. and had a 153 ERA+ in the AmeriCaribbean Cup
Group F Preview
Canada
Hitter to Watch: 1B Jimmy Williams dominated the NBL with the Sheboygan Indians in 1949, racking up 6.3 WAR thanks to 23 HRs, 132 RBIs, and a 165 OPS+
Pitcher to Watch: SP Pete Cole burst onto the BC scene with the Edmonton Oilers, winning ROTY honors thanks to 9.8 WAR and a 1.84 ERA over 274 IP
China
Hitter to Watch: RF Lang Yang spurned Hong Kong to join the Chinese team after a 5.7 WAR season with the MLB’s Philadelphia Stars
Pitcher to Watch: SP Hung An put together a 4.4 WAR year with the Chicago White Sox thanks to a 3.43 ERA in 236 IP
Nicaragua
Hitter to Watch: RF Alex Garcia collected 4.5 WAR in 146 games with the USBA’s Pensacola Blue Wahoos, slashing .267/.409/.457 with 22 HRs and 92 RBIs
Pitcher to Watch: SP Alfredo Bonilla went 13-12 with a 3.38 ERA and 3.4 WAR in 1949 for the PLC’s Indios del Bóer
Spain
Hitter to Watch: SS Miguel Mercado entered the EPL with Real Madrid and proceeded to put up a 4.0 WAR season with a 124 OPS+ as a rookie in 1949
Pitcher to Watch: SP Carlos Ramirez enjoyed a 6.3 WAR season for B.C. København to go alongside a 13-11 record and 3.40 ERA in 28 GS
Predictions
1.
China
2.
Canada
3. Spain
4. Nicaragua
Group G Preview
Cuba
Hitter to Watch: 3B Minnie Minoso had a quietly solid rookie year for the Elmira Pioneers, slashing .275/.356/.434 and putting up 1.5 WAR in 112 games
Pitcher to Watch: 3-time defending UBL Outstanding Pitcher SP Ernesto Morillas has put up 10.7, 13.3, and 13.5 WAR for the Miami Beach Flamingos in those years
England
Hitter to Watch: RF Stiofan Stewart did not enjoy his rookie year with the MLB’s Phoenix Rising, putting up -1.2 WAR in 101 games, but ranks as the #18 prospect
Pitcher to Watch: SP Keith Bhamra led the EPL with 185 Ks for Ajax Amsterdam and recorded 6.4 WAR in each of his first 2 seasons
Hong Kong
Hitter to Watch: 1B Xiao-peng Pei, now of Kitchee Sports Club, totaled 4.1 WAR in 1949, playing for both the Shanghai Golden Eagles and Guangdong Leopards
Pitcher to Watch: RP Ming Chaim worked in and out of the rotation for the CPBL’s Henan Elephants in 1949, recording a 150 ERA+ in 73 IP
Venezuela
Hitter to Watch: SS Rafael Quevedo, the 1st ever pick in a CSB draft (by the Willemstad Capitals), put up 4.8 WAR in just 115 games in 1949
Pitcher to Watch: New Brooklyn Dodgers SP Magali Vick posted a 3.27 ERA and 5.3 WAR for the Los Angeles Angels in 245 IP
Predictions
1.
Venezuela
2.
Cuba
3. England
4. Hong Kong
Group H Preview
El Salvador
Hitter to Watch: 1B Danny Rivera clobbered GNA pitching with a 208 OPS+, 37 HRs, and 130 RBIs with the Newnan Sunbirds prior to joining the New York Yankees
Pitcher to Watch: SP Israel Zarazua, 16th overall PLC pick by the Sultanes de Monterrey, has no professional experience but has loads of potential
Guatemala
Hitter to Watch: 3B Ernie Gomez hit 20 HRs and 77 RBIs with 4.3 WAR for the Hollywood Stars in 1949 after a 205 OPS+ in the AmeriCaribbean Cup
Pitcher to Watch: SP Carlos Pereira, former #4 overall pick, totaled 7.8 WAR and a 2.74 ERA for Club Social y Deportivo Municipal in 1949
Japan
Hitter to Watch: SS Gyou Fujimoto only played 101 games but still racked up 3.3 WAR for the New York Giants after putting up a 132 OPS+ in the Australasian Cup
Pitcher to Watch: Former #5 pick SP Norio Abe went 10-11 with a 3.65 ERA and 4.0 WAR for the Seoul Twins in 1949
The Netherlands
Hitter to Watch: 3B Rainer MacDonald slugged 38 HRs and 137 RBIs on his way to a 7.2 WAR season for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo of the CSB
Pitcher to Watch: SP Bertil Kersten shut down CBL batters with the Lynn Cannons in 1949, totaling 6.3 WAR thanks to a 3.13 ERA in 32 GS and 259 IP
Predictions
1.
Japan
2.
The Netherlands
3. Guatemala
4. El Salvador