The network will broadcast 17 of the 39 tournament games live, featuring the world's best baseball players, including the championship game from PETCO Park in San Diego, California on March 20, 2006.
Sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), the ‘Classic’ will run from March 3-20.
Similar to major football tournaments, the first round features four pools of four teams. The top two teams from each pool will be grouped in two second round pools of four teams. In both rounds the teams will compete in a round robin format. The semi-finals and final will be single elimination games.
The event got off to a low-key debut in Tokyo where only a few thousand spectators appeared at the 55,000-capacity Tokyo Dome for the clash between South Korea and Taiwan.
But more fans were expected Friday evening as favoured Japan take on underdogs China on the first day of the three-day WBC Pool-A round robin.
The 16 teams competing in the four groups are: Pool A [Tokyo] - China, Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea; Pool B [Phoenix, AZ] - Canada, Mexico, South Africa and United States; Pool C [Puerto Rico] - Cuba, Netherlands, Panama and Puerto Rico; Pool D [Orlando, FL] - Australia, Dominican Republic, Italy and Venezuela.
