Technologies
World Baseball Classic 2023: Schedule, Format, Rosters, How to Watch and Stream From Anywhere
The WBC tournament starts March 7 and will feature some of the biggest names in baseball.
Spring training games have just begun, but many Major League baseball players will soon be taking a two-week break from practices and practice games in Arizona and Florida to play for their country in the World Baseball Classic.
With a roster of 30 MLB players, Team USA enters the tournament as the defending champion. The Dominican Republic (winner in 2013) and Japan (two-time champ, in 2009 and 2006) loom as the biggest obstacles to an American repeat.
The tournament runs from March 7 to 21. Games will be shown on Fox, FS1, FS2 and Fox Deportes. In addition, three early-round games will be shown live on the Fox-owned Tubi streaming app. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the WBC, with or without cable.
Mookie Betts will trade Dodger blue for red, white and blue when he suits up for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire/Getty ImagesWhat is the schedule and format of the WBC?
Twenty teams will play in this year’s tournament, up from 16 teams in past years. There are four different pools of five teams each. The top two teams in each pool will advance to the quarterfinals, at which point it becomes an eight-team, single-elimination tournament.
- Pool play: March 7 to 15
- Quarterfinals: March 15 to 18
- Semifinals: March 19 and 20
- Championship: March 21
Where are the WBC games being played?
The tournament will be held in four locations, two in the US and two in Asia:
- LoanDepot Park (home of the Miami Marlins) in Miami
- Chase Field (home of the Arizona Diamondbacks) in Phoenix
- Tokyo Dome in Tokyo
- Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan
Which countries are playing in the World Baseball Classic?
Here’s how the 20 teams are arranged in the four pools:
Pool A
- Cuba
- Netherlands
- Italy
- Chinese Taipei
- Panama
Pool A will play its games in Taiwan.
Pool B
- Japan
- South Korea
- Australia
- China
- Czech Republic
Pool B will play its games in Japan.
Pool C
- United States
- Mexico
- Canada
- Colombia
- Great Britain
Pool C will play its games in Phoenix.
Pool D
- Dominican Republic
- Venezuela
- Puerto Rico
- Israel
- Nicaragua
Pool D will play its games in Miami.
Pool A and B quarterfinals will be played in Japan. Pool C and D quarterfinals will be played in Miami. The semifinals and championship game will be played in Miami.
Who are the biggest MLB stars playing in the WBC?
USA: Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado
Dominican Republic: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Rafael Devers, Juan Soto, Wander Franco, Julio Rodríguez, Sandy Alcantara
Japan: Shohei Ohtani, Yu Darvish
Venezuela: Ronald Acuña Jr., Jose Altuve
Netherlands: Xander Bogaerts
Puerto Rico: Francisco Lindor
Canada: Freddie Freeman
You can see the full roster for each WBC team here.
When does Team USA play?
Here’s the schedule for the US team’s four games in Pool C:
- Game 1 vs. Great Britain: March 11 at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET) on Fox
- Game 2 vs. Mexico: March 12 at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) on FS1
- Game 3 vs. Canada: March 13 at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) on FS1
- Game 4 vs. Colombia: March 15 at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET) on FS1
The tournament starts at 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) on March 7 with the first game between Cuba and the Netherlands. You can see the full WBC schedule here.
How can I watch the World Baseball Classic?
You can watch the WBC on Fox, FS1, FS2 and Fox Deportes with a live TV streaming service, but keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your area. The key channel for the WBC is FS1, which will not only show three of Team USA’s first four games but will also show both semifinal games and the title game.
Games can also be streamed live online through FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app, but you’ll need to authenticate with a cable, streaming or satellite login. You don’t need an account to watch the three games on the free, ad-supported Tubi streaming service.
Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
You can watch WBC games live at FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app, but you need to authenticate with a cable, streaming or satellite login. Fox Sports has apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and Xbox.
Sling/CNET
Sling’s $40-a-month Blue package includes Fox and FS1, but it carries Fox only in a handful of areas. It does not offer Fox Deportes. You can add FS2 for an extra $11 a month. Read our Sling TV review.
YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes Fox, FS1 and FS2 but not Fox Deportes. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review.
Fubo TV
FuboTV’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes Fox, FS1 and FS2. To watch Spanish-language broadcasts on Fox Deportes, you will need to spring for FuboTV’s $86-a-month plan. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our FuboTV review.
Hulu
Hulu with Live TV costs $70 a month and includes Fox. Click the «View channels in your area» link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Directv stream
DirecTV Stream’s basic, $75-a-month package includes Fox and FS1. You need to spend $110 to also get FS2. Fox Deportes is not offered. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review.
Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Tubi is a free, ad-supported streaming service that shows movies and TV shows along with local news livestreams, live sports, weather and entertainment channels. Three early-round WBC games will be shown live on Tubi: Italy vs. Cuba on March 9, Czech Republic vs. China on March 9 and Italy vs. Chinese Taipei on March 10.
How to use a VPN to watch the WBC from anywhere
If you’re traveling outside your home country and want to watch the WBC, or just want an added layer of privacy for streaming, there is an option that doesn’t require searching the internet for a sketchy website: You can use a VPN, or virtual private network.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to WBC broadcasts, which comes in handy if you find yourself unable to view the games locally. A VPN is the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds by encrypting your traffic. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
If you can’t find a convenient opportunity to watch the WBC where you live, using a VPN with a US-based server should provide access to some or all of the streaming options listed below. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, as long as you’ve got a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions. See our list of best VPNs for more and check out other great VPN deals taking place right now.
Sarah Tew/CNET
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription. Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Quick tips for streaming the WBC using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — experience and success may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the «search for city or country» option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
Technologies
Ultrahuman Ring Pro Brings Better Battery Life, More Action and Analysis
The company’s new flagship smart ring stores more data, too. But that doesn’t really help Americans.
Sick of your smart ring’s battery not holding up? Ultrahuman’s new $479 Ring Pro smart ring, unveiled on Friday, offers up to 15 days of battery life on a single charge. The Ring Pro joins the company’s $349 Ring Air, which boosts health tracking, thanks to longer battery life, increased data storage, improved speed and accuracy and a new heart-rate sensing architecture. The ring works in conjunction with the latest Pro charging case.
Ultrahuman also launched its Jade AI, which can act as an agent based on analysis of current and historical health data. Jade can synthesize data from across the company’s products and is compatible with its Rings.
«With industry-leading hardware paired with Jade biointelligence AI, users can now take real-time actionable interventions towards their health than ever before,» said Mohit Kumar, CEO of Ultrahuman.
No US sales
That hardware isn’t available in the US, though, thanks to the ongoing ban on Ultrahuman’s Rings sales here, stemming from a patent dispute with its competitor, Oura Ring. It’s available for preorder now everywhere else and is slated to ship in March. Jade’s available globally.
Ultrahuman says the Ring Pro boosts battery life to about 15 days in Chill mode — up to 12 days in Turbo — compared to a maximum of six days for the Air. The Pro charger’s battery stores enough for another 45 days, which you top off with Qi-compatible wireless charging. In addition, the case incorporates locator technology via the app and a speaker, as well as usability features such as haptic notifications and a power LED.
The ring can also retain up to 250 days of data versus less than a week for the cheaper model. Ultrahuman redesigned the heart-rate sensor for better signal quality. An upgraded processor improves the accuracy of the local machine learning and overall speed.
It’s offered in gold, silver, black and titanium finishes, with available sizes ranging from 5 to 14.
Jade’s Deep Research Mode is the cross-ecosystem analysis feature, which aggregates data from Ring and Blood Vision and the company’s subscription services, Home and M1 CGM, to provide historical trends, offer current recommendations and flag potential issues, as well as trigger activities such as A-fib detection. Ultrahuman plans to expand its capabilities to include health-adjacent activities, such as ordering food.
Some new apps are also available for the company’s PowerPlug add-on platform, including capabilities such as tracking GLP-1 effects, snoring and respiratory analysis and migraine management tools.
Technologies
The FCC Just Approved Charter’s $34.5B Cox Purchase. Here’s What It Means for 37M Customers
Technologies
Spotify Expands Into Audiobook Rankings With Weekly Charts
The feature is available to both free users and Premium subscribers. Wuthering Heights is reaching the heights on both the US and UK charts.
If you’re a Spotify user, you may be familiar with features like the year-end summary Wrapped, as well as your daily usage stats. Now, the service has a new popularity chart tracking audiobooks.
Spotify’s audiobook charts are now available to free and Premium users within the service’s Audiobooks hub. While only Premium users receive 15 hours of audiobook listening per month, the company offers a larger selection of titles you can buy.
US charts and UK charts are both available now.
Read more: Best Music Streaming Services for 2026
Spotify says that the audiobook charts will help customers discover new and popular titles in real time.
«As we’ve proven with Music and Podcasts Charts, when content is easier to access, discover, and enjoy, the demand grows,» said Duncan Bruce, Spotify’s director of audiobook partnerships and licensing, in a statement on Friday.
Spotify launched audiobooks in 2022, and has since added features such as the AI catchup tool Recaps and PageMatch, which lets you swap more easily between a printed book and the audio version.
Spotify Premium currently costs $13 a month and includes more than 100 million songs, as well as audiobooks. Spotify Premium is currently CNET’s Editors’ Choice for best music streaming service.
The current US audiobooks chart lists Emily Brontë’s romantic classic Wuthering Heights as the top listen, followed by James Clear’s self-help book Atomic Habits and Freida McFadden’s psychological thriller The Housemaid. Audiobook popularity is also broken down by genre, with charts for romance, mystery and thriller books, self-help, science fiction and fantasy, biography and memoir, business and careers, teen and young adult, religion and spirituality, history, and parenting and relationships.
Powered by its blockbuster movie adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, Wuthering Heights also leads the overall chart for the UK.
-
Technologies3 года agoTech Companies Need to Be Held Accountable for Security, Experts Say
-
Technologies3 года agoBest Handheld Game Console in 2023
-
Technologies3 года agoTighten Up Your VR Game With the Best Head Straps for Quest 2
-
Technologies4 года agoBlack Friday 2021: The best deals on TVs, headphones, kitchenware, and more
-
Technologies5 лет agoGoogle to require vaccinations as Silicon Valley rethinks return-to-office policies
-
Technologies5 лет agoVerum, Wickr and Threema: next generation secured messengers
-
Technologies4 года agoOlivia Harlan Dekker for Verum Messenger
-
Technologies4 года agoiPhone 13 event: How to watch Apple’s big announcement tomorrow