The WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup added two more teams to qualify last weekend with world No. 16 South Africa and No. 33 Botswana punching their tickets to the group stage as the top two African teams. South Africa defeated Botswana, 2-0, in the final of the continental championship and repeated as African Champions. Lesotho finished third.
Hosted in Mokopane, Waterberg District, Limpopo, the three-team WBSC World Cup Men’s Softball African Qualifier kicked off with a doubleheader on Thursday and Friday, with the finals to be played on Saturday.
Day 1 results
- RSA 17 – 0 LES
- BOT 12 – 0 LES
- BOT 4 – 3 RSA (8 innings)
Day 2 results
- BOT 22 – 0 LES
- RSA 13 – 0 LES
- RSA 4 – 0 BOT
After the round of play, South Africa and Botswana were tied at the top of the standings with 3–1 records, but the host team claimed first place due to the tiebreaker rule. Thus they earned a place in the finals and consequently a ticket to the World Cup.
On Sunday, Botswana beat Lesotho, 13-0, to earn a spot at the World Cup and set up a rematch against South Africa for the continental title. In the final, South Africa defeated Botswana, 2-0, to retain the men’s African softball crown.
South Africa have qualified for their 12th appearance at the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup, which will mark their fourth consecutive appearance. The green team has played in eight of the last nine World Cups. Their only absence came during the 2015 championships in Saskatoon, Canada, snapping a streak of five consecutive appearances. Their best performance to date was a seventh place in 1976 at Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
On the other hand, Botswana has participated in the World Cup eight times, achieving the highest position of eighth place in Whitehorse, Canada, in 2017. From 1992 to 2009, Botswana appeared in five consecutive World Cups. They will return to the world stage after missing out on the 2022 World Cup.
Lesotho becomes the fifth African nation to WBSC/KONAMI Men’s Softball World Rankings, along with No. 41 Kenya and No. 43 Uganda. They will be re-ranked in the next update. Their last ranking appearance was on December 31, 2022.
A total of 13 teams out of 18 have been confirmed for the group stage:
- Africa (2) No. 13 South Africa, No. 33 Botswana
- America (5) TBD
- Asia (3) No. 2 Japan, No. 11 Singapore, No. 14 Philippines
- Europe (2) No. 5 Czech Republic, No. 17 Netherlands
- Oceania (2) No. 1 Australia, No. 8 New Zealand
- Hosts (3) No. 3 Canada, No. 6 USA, No. 9 Mexico
- Wild Cards (1) No. 24 Hong Kong, China
The Americas Qualifier is scheduled to take place in Sincelejo, Colombia, between April 7 and 14.