What is the WBSC?
The World Baseball Softball Confederation is the world governing body of baseball, softball and Baseball5 — formed in 2013 by the merger of the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation, headquartered in Pully, on Lake Geneva, and uniting nearly 200 national federations.[1] [2]
What does the WBSC govern?
The international calendar — the Premier12, the U-12 through U-23 Baseball World Cups, the Softball World Cups and Baseball5 — plus the official WBSC World Rankings of national teams, and the sport's Olympic relationship: baseball and softball return to the Games at LA28. It sanctions the MLB-run World Baseball Classic.[2] [3]
Who leads it?
President Riccardo Fraccari of Italy, whose current mandate runs with the 2025–29 Executive Board — the leadership that carried baseball and softball back onto the Olympic program.[1] [3]
Why does the WBSC matter?
Every national-team credential in baseball — World Cup and Olympic rosters, ranking positions, youth caps — runs through the WBSC and its member federations: the official international paper trail of the sport.[2] [3]
References
- WBSC — Congress elects Executive Board for 2025–2029. Accessed August 2026.
- WBSC — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- Olympics.com — Baseball/softball at LA28. Accessed August 2026.