2026 World Baseball Classic Preview for Games on Monday, March 9, 2026

By Frank Ammirante | Mar 09, 2026, 6:19am

It’s time for Day 6 of the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Monday, March 9th. We’ve got the following games on tap for today:

Today’s schedule is highlighted by an intriguing matchup for first place in Pool B, with Mexico taking on USA. It will be interesting to see if Mexico can pull off the upset.

On this page, we’ll take dive into the full World Baseball Classic slate on Mar. 9. You’ll find a game preview for each of these matchups, along with best bets at the end of the page. Visit us daily as we’ll get you set each day of the World Baseball Classic with recaps, look aheads, and much more!

2026 World Baseball Classic Betting Resources

Monday WBC Schedule

Korea vs. Australia (6 a.m. ET) (FS1)
Israel vs. Dominican Republic (12 p.m. ET) (FS1)
Colombia vs. Panama (12 p.m. ET) (FS1)
Great Britain vs. Brazil (1 p.m. ET) (FS1)
Cuba vs. Puerto Rico (7 p.m. ET) (FS1)
Venezuela vs. Nicaragua (7 p.m. ET) (FS1)
USA vs. Mexico (8 p.m. ET) (FS1)

Korea vs. Australia Preview

We start the Monday slate with a massive game for second place in Pool D.

If Australia wins, they’ll advance. But if Korea wins, they’ll force a three-way tie that also includes Chinese Taipei. In that scenario, since Korea beat Australia and Chinese Taipei beat Korea, it would come down to the ratio of total runs divided by total defensive outs recorded.

Korea came into this tournament as the favorite to advance out of this group, but Australia has been pesky all WBC, coming close with a one-run loss vs. Japan. Australia is going with Lachlan Wells (3.60 ERA in KBO), while Korea counters with Son Ju-Young (4.50 ERA in KBO). I like Korea to squeak out a close win here due to their superior lineup, led by Jung Hoo Lee of the San Francisco Giants.

Korea vs. Australia Game Odds

Israel vs. Dominican Republic Preview

Israel is coming off a big win over Nicaragua, but they’re in tough against Dominican Republic, who have blown out Nicaragua and Netherlands so far.

Brayan Bello gets the nod for D.R. The Boston Red Sox righty is a dependable innings-eater. Israel is going with Ryan Prager, who pitches for the Cleveland Guardians Single-A affliate (4.15 ERA in 4.1 innings last year).

With how red-hot these Dominican bats have been, this has the look of another blowout.

Israel vs. Dominican Republic Game Odds

Colombia vs. Panama Preview

Colombia is looking to finish its tournament on a high note, as they’ve dropped all three of its games so far.

The Colombians have been outscored by 14 runs in this year’s WBC, so they’re in a tough spot vs. Panama, which has played in close games throughout the tourney, coming off an upset over Canada. If Panama can win here, there’s an outside shot that they can still advance out of the group.

Given how much better Panama has been in this tournament, they’re likely to get it done here. Do note that at the time of this article, pitching matchups were not announced.

Colombia vs. Panama Game Odds

Great Britain vs. Brazil Preview

Great Britain will look to close out their WBC with a win over Brazil, who has gotten blown out by USA, Italy, and Mexico so far. The British did a good job keeping it relatively close against Italy in a 7-4 loss.

The Brits are heavy favorites in this game, which isn’t surprising considering Brazil has lost 15-5, 8-0, and 16-0.

As with the Colombia vs. Panama game, starters have not yet been announced, but that doesn’t matter too much here. Look for the British to get the win.

Great Britain vs. Brazil Game Odds

Cuba vs. Puerto Rico Preview

Here we have a massive game with major implications for who advances into the knockout stage. Both Cuba and Puerto Rico are 2-0, so this should be an intriguing rivalry game.

Cuba is sending out Julio Robaina, who put up a 10.80 ERA in the Mexican Pacific Winter League this season. Puerto Rico counters with Elmer Rodriguez, who is a Yankees prospect who struggled in a brief stint in Triple-A last year (7.20 ERA).

Puerto Rico is heavily favored here, which makes sense, especially considering their home-field advantage. I also like their edge on the mound, as Rodriguez is better than Robaina.

Cuba vs. Puerto Rico Game Odds

Venezuela vs. Nicaragua Preview

Venezuela blew out Israel 11-3 and took care of business in a 6-2 win over Netherlands in their opener. Nicaragua got blown out by Dominican Republic 12-3, had a tough 4-3 loss vs Netherlands, and then couldn’t get anything going in a 5-0 loss vs. Israel.

The Nicaraguans are simply overmatched here, as Venezuela is the fourth-best team in the tournament on paper.

Expect Ronald Acuña Jr. and company to continue swinging the hot bats in this one.

Venezuela vs. Nicaragua Game Odds

USA vs. Mexico Preview

Here we have a huge game in Pool B between two undefeated teams. With Italy also at 2-0, we’re in for a wild finish in this group.

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is taking the mound in this one, which will make it tough for Mexico to get anything going on offense. With that said, it’s likely that he only goes three innings.

Even still, USA should be able to win this one by at least two runs.

USA vs. Mexico Game Odds

USA vs. Mexico Betting Pick

I’m zeroing in on USA vs. Mexico for my betting pick for the Monday slate.

I can’t pass up the chance to take USA on the run line with Skenes on the mound. The Pirates’ righty is coming off another dominant season, where he put up a 1.97 ERA in 187.2 innings.

Even though Mexico is 2-0, those wins were against Brazil and Great Britain.

It’s a good idea to get on USA now, as the line is likely to move as we get closer to first pitch.

Best Bet: USA RL to win 1 unit

2026 World Baseball Classic Betting Tracker

Record: 3-2
Units: -0.4

2026 World Baseball Classic Betting Results

Moneyline (Favorite-Underdog): 21-4
Run Line (Favorite-Underdog): 12-7
Run Total (Over-Under): 17-14

Wednesday, Mar. 4

Chinese Taipei 0 vs. Australia 3 (+2.5) – Under

Thursday, Mar. 5

Czechia 4 vs. South Korea 11 (-6.5) – Over
Czechia 1 vs. Australia 5 (-4.5) – Under

Friday, Mar. 6

Chinese Taipei 0 vs. Japan 13 (-4.5) – Over
Panama 1 vs. Cuba 3 (-1.5) – Under
Netherlands 2 vs. Venezuela 6 (-3.5) – Under
Great Britain 2 vs. Mexico 8 (-4.5) – Over
Colombia 0 vs. Puerto Rico 5 (-2.5) – Under
Nicaragua 3 vs. Dominican Republic 12 (-4.5) – Over
Brazil 5 vs. USA 15 (-9.5) – Over

Saturday, Mar. 7

Korea 6 vs. Japan 8 (-4.5) – Over
Colombia 2 vs. Canada 8 (-1.5) Over
Nicaragua 3 vs. Netherlands 4 (-2.5) – Under
Brazil 0 vs. Italy 8 (-4.5) – Under
Panama 3 vs. Puerto Rico 4 (-3.5) – Under
Israel 3 vs. Venezuela 11 (-5.5) – Over
Great Britain 1 vs. USA 9 (-9.5) – Under
Korea 4 vs. Chinese Taipei 5 (+2.5) – Over

Sunday, Mar. 8

Australia 3 vs. Japan 4 (-4.5) – Under
Netherlands 1 vs. Dominican Republic 12 (-4.5) Over
Colombia 4 vs. Cuba 7 (-1.5) – Over
Great Britain 4 vs. Italy 7 (-4.5) – Over
Nicaragua 0 vs. Israel 5 (+1.5) – Under
Brazil 0 vs. Mexico 16 (-7.5) – Over
Canada 3 vs. Panama 4 (+4.5) – Under

*Game wasn’t finished at the time I wrote this article

Frank Ammirante

Frank Ammirante has been creating sports betting and fantasy sports content for 5+ years, specializing in baseball and football, but also writing about basketball, hockey, and soccer. He has also written online casino, sweepstakes casino, prediction markets, and news articles while working as a content editor as well. You may have seen his work at The Game Day, RotoBaller, FantasyPros, Deadspin, Casino.org, and much more. Frank started out in the fantasy sports space and has competed in popular industry events like Tout Wars. His work has recently been published in this year's Fantasy Index fantasy baseball magazine. As an avid Blue Jays fan, Frank is still mourning their World Series loss to the Dodgers, calling it "one of the biggest collapses in sports history."