Cuba will be seeking its first U-18 World Cup title since 2004, the year it won with players such as Alfredo Despaigne, Jose Dariel Abreu, Yadier Pedroso, and Miguel Alfredo González. Of the 20 players who went to the U-15 World Cup in 2022, 19 have already left the country, many of them signed by MLB.
The same has happened with several of the protagonists of the last World Cup during the qualifiers in Panama. Cuba is the event’s all-time leader with 11 titles, although it hasn’t reached the final or won a title for over a decade. Can this new generation return the country to the top?
The WBSC revealed the official schedule for the World Youth Championship, which will be played from September 5-14 in Okinawa, Japan. The Cuban national team, coached this time by Abeicy Pantoja, was placed in Group A alongside defending champions Japan, Korea, Puerto Rico, Italy, and South Africa.
Cuba’s schedule for the first phase (Cuban time):
September 5 – vs. South Africa | 🕜 1:30 AM | Nishizaki Stadium
September 6 – vs. Italy | 🕜 1:30 AM | Cellular Naha Stadium
September 7 – vs. Japan | 🕐 1:00 AM | Cellular Naha Stadium
September 7 – vs. Puerto Rico | 🕘 9:30 PM | Nishizaki Stadium
September 9 – vs. Korea | 🕜 1:30 AM | Cellular Naha Stadium