CARY, N.C. – In 10 days, the 12U National Team will compete in the 2025 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup. From July 25 to August 3 in Tainan, Taiwan, the U.S. will look to defend its title as world champion after taking home gold in the 2023 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. This year marks the eighth edition of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup, as Team USA sets its sights on a third consecutive and sixth overall gold medal in the event.

HISTORY IN WORLD CUPS

2025 will be the 12U National Team’s seventh year competing in a World Cup setting, with the stars and stripes claiming gold on five of the previous six occasions. In six World Cup appearances, the 12U National Team owns a 45-7 record while scoring 650 total runs and yielding only 138 runs to opponents.

In its 2023 campaign, the U.S. posted a 7-2 record and outscored opponents 131-26. The single-game scoring record was also broken that year, when Team USA defeated New Zealand 43-1 in the tournament opener. The red, white, and blue then claimed back-to-back world titles after defeating Chinese Taipei in the championship game, 10-4.

THE PAST

USA Baseball’s 12U National Team flaunts a history of fortune dating back to the team’s inception in 2013. Over the past 10 years, Team USA has captured eight gold medals, with five of those being WBSC/IBAF World Cup Championships. The dominance of the U.S. is seen in its 84-11 overall record in which only five losses have been conceded since 2017. In addition, the 12U National Team has developed and produced elite talent, with 13 alumni being drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft since 2013. Notable alumni include: Anthony Volpe, Masyn Winn, Paul Skenes, and Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The 12U National Team is currently riding a nine-game winning streak, dating back to the summer of 2023.

THE FIELD

The 12-team field is divided into two groups, with Team USA competing in Group B along with Czechia, Dominican Republic, Korea, Panama, and South Africa. Panama earned an automatic bid as it was the 2024 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier host while the Dominican Republic earned a berth after a second-place finish in the tournament. South Africa represents the region of Africa while Europe’s Czechia qualified after taking home silver in the U-12 European Baseball Championship. In addition, Korea’s silver medal in the XI BFA U-12 Asia Championship qualified the nation. Three top-10 globally-ranked teams according to the WBSC are featured in Group B: No. 5 USA, No. 6 Korea, and No. 8 Panama.

Group A includes Australia, Chinese-Taipei, Cuba, Germany, Japan, and Mexico. Australia defeated Guam in the U-12 Oceania Championship to earn a bid, while Chinese-Taipei and Germany each won gold medals in their respective qualifying tournaments to secure a berth. Cuba and Mexico round out the final teams representing the Americas, resulting in five total teams hailing from the region. This group features a handful of elite federations, as the quartet of No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Chinese-Taipei, No. 10 Cuba, and No. 11 Dominican Republic puts four top-11 globally ranked teams in the pool.

Historically, the 12U National Team is 21-1 against teams seeded in Group B, and 26-6 versus teams in Group A in past international competition. The stars and stripes’ last loss against a nation in this year’s 12-team field came against Japan in the 2023 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup.

After four consecutive days of group play starting on July 25, the top three teams from each pool will qualify to play in the super round slated to begin on July 31. From there, competition will be single elimination until a world champion is crowned on August 3.

THE VENUE

From the team’s training site in Los Angeles, California, 18 players, 4 coaches and additional staff will travel 6,937 miles to the small island of Taiwan located off the southeastern coast of China. Positioned along the southwestern coast of Taiwan is the oldest city on the island, Tainan City. There, baseball holds a reputation as being one of the most popular and beloved sports prevalent in the region.

Not only is the WBSC the only international sports federation with a world championship at the 12-and-under level, but the venue of the Asia Pacific International Baseball Training (ASPAC) is the only baseball complex purposely built for the 12-and-under age bracket. Taiwan has hosted every edition of the WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup and 2025 marks the fourth consecutive year the event will be played at the ASPAC. The Primary Stadium, where the World Cup final will be held, embraces conventional grass/dirt construction and features a maximum capacity of 25,000 spectators. In 2023, the World Cup final saw over 8,500 fans attend the gold-medal contest between the United States and Chinese Taipei.

THE ROSTER

The 18-player roster features 12 athletes who were invited to Training Camp following the 11U Futures Invitational, while the remaining six were previously selected from last summer’s 11U National Team Identification Series (NTIS) Champions Cup. Overall, 11 states are represented among the 18 players on this year’s roster. Texas leads all states with three athletes, while Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, and Virginia are each represented by two players apiece. California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington are responsible for the remaining seven athletes. The 2025 12U National Team roster can be found here.

AT THE HELM

In February, USA Baseball named the 2025 12U National Team coaching staff, led by Bryan Madsen – who is tabbed manager for the second consecutive summer and helped secure a gold medal and a World Cup qualification last October in Panama. Alongside Madsen is a veteran group of coaches, including Wes Brooks, Erick Quesada, and Alabama Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Famer Roger Wright. Brooks will serve as pitching coach while Quesada and Wright will take on assistant coaching roles. Madsen and Quesada make their second appearance on a World Cup roster, having previously served on staff of the gold-medal-winning 2023 12U National Team. Likewise, this will be the second consecutive summer that Brooks and Wright suit up in a Team USA uniform.

Assistant coach Erick Quesada takes the field in front of a packed Asia Pacific International Baseball Training (ASPAC) stadium during the 2023 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup gold medal game

ON DECK

Prior to taking the field in Taiwan, Team USA will hold training in Los Angeles, California, from July 18-21, where the team will finalize preparations for international competition. The U.S. will then travel to Tainan, Taiwan, where the squad is slated to play Panama in the tournament opener on July 25, at 2:30 p.m. local/2:30 a.m. ET at the Asia Pacific International Baseball Stadium and Training Centres (ASPAC). Streaming and live statistics will be provided at a later date.

SOCIAL MEDIA

To follow along with all the action with the 12U National Team, be sure to follow @USABaseball12U on X and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.