The 2026 World Baseball Classic is underway. Chinese Taipei and Australia kicked things off Wednesday night in Japan, opening pool play for all 20 competing nations.
With the world's best players representing their countries on an international stage, it's one of the most compelling events in baseball - and one of the most fun to bet on.
Before we dive into how to bet on the World Baseball Classic, a reminder that bettors can find the best MLB props throughout the Major League Baseball season right here on the WalterPicks app. These MLB props in our app will be available for Opening Day and all throughout the 2026 season.
MLB prop on WalterPicks from last season
How To Bet On The World Baseball Classic
On both FanDuel and DraftKings, you can wager the outcome of the WBC. You can bet on who will win it all, who will win the MVP of the tournament, who will win each pool, and which two teams will come out of each pool.
Bettors can also bet on each game of the WBC. These bets are only available on (or close to) the day of the game, though.
The big difference between the two platforms is that DraftKings allows same-game parlays.
Best Bets for the 2026 WBC
Pool D Top 2 Exact Finish: Dominican Republic/Venezuela (+125 FanDuel)
The Dominican Republic and Venezuela are in a class of their own in Pool D. The DR's roster reads like an All-Star ballot with players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Ketel Marte, Junior Caminero, and Julio Rodriguez.
Venezuela isn't far behind, with Ronald Acuña Jr., Luis Arraez, William Contreras, Salvador Perez, and Jackson Chourio representing their country.
The other three teams in the pool (Netherlands, Israel, and Nicaragua) simply can't match that firepower. At +125 on FanDuel (compared to -115 on DraftKings), this is excellent value.
Two Teams to Advance from Pool B: USA & Italy (+225, DraftKings)
Team USA is the easy call to make it out of Pool B. Their rotation, consisting of Logan Webb, Tarik Skubal, and Paul Skenes, will give any team in the tournament fits, and their lineup is just as imposing. The real question is who joins them out of this pool.
That race comes down to Italy and Mexico.
Italy has the edge on the mound. Aaron Nola anchors a pitching group that includes Michael Lorenzen, Matt Festa, and Adam Ottavino. That’s a clear step above Mexico's pitching that features only Andres Munoz, Javier Assad, and Taijuan Walker.
Italy's lineup also includes MLB talent like Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone, Jon Berti, and Kyle Teel. That’s competitive enough to back the team’s solid pitching. At +225, USA and Italy advancing together is a compelling play.
Tournament Winner: Team USA (-110)
Japan ended the USA's run in 2023. This year feels different. The Americans are rolling out one of the deepest rosters in WBC history with Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman, Cal Raleigh, Gunnar Henderson, Roman Anthony, and Byron Buxton, among others. There are no obvious weak spots in this lineup, and the pitching matches it. At -110, Team USA is the pick to win it all.
