The Venezuela national baseball team ( or ) also known as "Arepa Power" is the national baseball team of Venezuela. It is currently ranked fifth in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
Venezuela has competed in every edition of the World Baseball Classic since 2006, with its best result before 2026 being a semifinal appearance in 2009. It won its first major international title in the 1941 Amateur World Series, defeating a heavily favored Team Cuba, and won two more world championships in the 1940s. It has also historically dominated baseball at the Bolivarian Games. In 2026, it qualified for the Summer Olympics for the first time via its performance in the World Baseball Classic.
Team Venezuela competed against Team Israel, Team Netherlands, Team Dominican Republic, and Team Nicaragua in the 2026 World Baseball Classic from March 6âÂÂ11, 2026, at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. After advancing from the group stage, Team Venezuela was undefeated in the knockout stage, facing Team Japan, Team Italy, and finally Team USA, notching their first World Baseball Classic win, 3âÂÂ2.
Venezuela debuted in international competition at the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games in Panama City, finishing sixth. The country first participated in what was then the top level of international baseball competition, the Amateur World Series (later to be known as the Baseball World Cup), in 1940.
Venezuela won its first international baseball title the following year, defeating defending champions Cuba at the 1941 Amateur World Series in Havana. The championship team, with illustrious names from the country's amateur circuits like Héctor BenÃÂtez, Daniel "Chino" Canónico, and José Antonio Casanova, was hailed as "Los Heroes del '41" ("Heroes of '41"). The victory of the 1941 AWS is cited as the catalyst for baseball's exploding popularity in Venezuela, Venezuelan President IsaÃÂas Medina Angarita declared October 22, the day of the championship game, a national holiday.
Venezuela competed in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, playing its opening games in Pool C, in Toronto, Ontario. The Venezuelans secured advancement out of Pool C with a pair of resounding wins over Italy. Along the way, Venezuela also lost a 15âÂÂ6 slugfest against the United States, but won twice against the same team.
In the 2013 World Baseball Classic, Venezuela was eliminated by Puerto Rico, who went on to eliminate Italy, the United States and two-time defending champion Japan. Their placing as the third team in Pool C after defeating newcomers Spain was sufficient to secure direct qualification to the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
The team competed against Team Israel, Team Puerto Rico, Team Dominican Republic, and Team Nicaragua in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Miami, Florida, coming in first in the pool, but losing to the U.S. in the next round.
Team Venezuela competed against Team Israel, Team Netherlands, Team Dominican Republic, and Team Nicaragua in pool play of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. They played from March 6âÂÂ17, 2026, at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, in Pool D.
Houston Astros bench coach Omar López managed Team Venezuela at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
After an upset victory against Team Japan in the quarterfinals, a victory against the insurgent Team Italy in the semifinals, the Venezuela national team won their first World Baseball Classic final against Team USA, 3âÂÂ2.
As one of the Latin American baseball powerhouses, Venezuela remarkably has not competed in the Olympics tournament which began from 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, unlike more famous teams such as Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is the first tournament in any sport to have 2028 Summer Olympics qualification quota spots directly available, in this case for the top-two-performing Americas teams excluding Olympic hosts the United States, who have already qualified automatically.
On 14 March 2026, after securing a vital victory against Japan in the quarterfinals, Venezuela qualified for the historically first time in the six-team baseball tournament for LA28.
The following is a list of professional baseball match results currently active in the latest version of the WBSC World Rankings, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
In June 2005, Major League Baseball announced the formation of the World Baseball Classic, a sixteen nation international competition to be held in March 2006 for the first time. The team Venezuela sent to the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic included Venezuelan players from Major League Baseball. A player is eligible to participate on a WBC national team if: