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National team appearances in the World Baseball Classic
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This article lists the performances of each of the 23 national teams which have made at least one appearance in the World Baseball Classic. The 2006 and 2009 tournaments, each had the same 16–team field, chosen by invitation. Beginning with the 2013 tournament, the four last-place teams from the previous tournament's first round each contested a qualifying round against three additional teams. The outcome of this process has been that 14 of the original 16 teams have continued to appear in every tournament. In 2013, Canada and Chinese Taipei re-qualified while Panama and South Africa were respectively replaced by Brazil and Spain. In 2017, Australia and Mexico re-qualified while Brazil and Spain were respectively replaced by Colombia and Israel.
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The three teams to have won the tournament are Japan (2006, 2009, 2023), the Dominican Republic (2013), and the United States (2017). Other teams to have reached the championship game are Cuba (2006), South Korea (2009), and Puerto Rico (2013, 2017). Other teams to have reached the semifinals are Venezuela (2009), the Netherlands (2013, 2017), and Mexico (2023). Other teams to have reached the quarterfinals (previously the second round) are Chinese Taipei (2013), Italy (2013, 2023), Israel (2017), and Australia (2023). Japan is the current World Baseball Classic champion, defeating the United States at the 2023 World Baseball Classic Final.