MIAMI, WILLEMSTAD – The Kingdom of the Netherlands baseball team will begin its campaign in the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Thursday, competing in what is widely regarded as the most prestigious international baseball tournament in the world.
The tournament features national teams from more than twenty countries and is being played at several venues across North America and Asia. The Kingdom team will play its group stage games in Miami, where it competes in Pool D against Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Israel and Nicaragua.
Strong Caribbean presence
The team traditionally relies heavily on players with roots in the Caribbean, particularly from Curaçao and Aruba, where baseball is one of the most popular sports. Together with players from the Netherlands, they form the national “Kingdom team” that represents the entire Dutch Kingdom in international competition.
The 2026 squad again includes several Major League Baseball stars, such as Ozzie Albies, Xander Bogaerts, Ceddanne Rafaela and Didi Gregorius. Many of these players were born or raised on the Caribbean islands, which have produced a remarkable number of professional baseball players relative to their small populations.
Thanks in part to this Caribbean talent, the Netherlands has developed into a respected competitor on the international stage. The team previously reached the semifinals of the World Baseball Classic in both 2013 and 2017, demonstrating it can challenge traditional baseball powers.
Absences affect the lineup
However, the current roster has also been affected by developments involving two well-known Curaçao-born players.
Outfielder Jurickson Profar was expected to be a key figure in the lineup but will not participate after a recent positive doping test that could lead to a season-long suspension.
Infielder Jonathan Schoop is also absent from the squad. The 34-year-old player remains in Curaçao due to an ongoing criminal investigation related to illegal firearm possession, which prevented his selection for the tournament.
Andruw Jones leads the team
The Kingdom team is coached by Curaçao baseball legend Andruw Jones, who enjoyed a distinguished career in Major League Baseball and remains one of the most prominent figures in the sport from the Caribbean.
Under his leadership, the team hopes to once again make a deep run in the tournament. With a combination of experienced MLB veterans and emerging young talent, the squad aims to compete with some of the strongest baseball nations in the world.
For fans in Curaçao, Aruba and the Netherlands, the World Baseball Classic represents not only a major sporting event but also a celebration of the Kingdom’s unique baseball heritage—one built largely on the remarkable talent emerging from the Caribbean islands.