The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) released the official schedule of the inaugural WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup, which will take place in Lima, Peru, from 6-12 December.

The two European National Teams Netherlands and Czech Republic, and USA, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei, South Africa, Peru and Colombia will play a 36-game single round robin from 6-11 December. The top two teams in the standings after the round-robin will advance to the World Championship Final, scheduled for Sunday, 12 December, at 4 p.m. (all times local). The third and fourth placed teams will play off for bronze. 

The maiden edition of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup, the top international youth women’s softball competition in the world, will be contested at Villa Maria del Triunfo Complex, the softball venue of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games located in the southern area of Peru’s capital. The first pitch of the tournament is scheduled for Monday, 6 December, at 10 a.m., with Chinese Taipei taking on Colombia in Game 1. The Opening Ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m., prior to host Peru making their debut in the tournament against the Netherlands.

The inaugural WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup, which replaces the U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup, had been originally set to take place in 2020. As a result of the one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all players who would have been eligible to participate in the 2020 edition will still be able to play in December.

The last edition of the WBSC U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup was played in 2019 in Irvine, California, USA, where the USA National Team defeated Japan, 4-3, in an extra-inning final. The United States are the three-time defending U-19 Women's Softball World Champions.

WBSC press release