World No. 1 Japan to face the Dominican Republic in Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games baseball opener
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic baseball tournament will feature six of the world’s top-ranked teams, including five among the top-10 nations.
Baseball Softball
Japan will face the Dominican Republic in the opening game of the baseball tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on 28 July following the final draw.
The hosts will also face Mexico in Group A. Republic of Korea, the United States and Israel have been drawn in Group B.
Powerhouse Japan cemented their place as the top country in the world in the latest WBSC Baseball World Rankings, which include 84 countries and territories.
Defending Olympic champions Republic of Korea are ranked third in the world while the United States are in fourth place, with Mexico one place adrift. The Dominican Republic, the last team to qualify for the Games, are ranked seventh. Israel ranked 24th, rounds off the six-team roster.
Baseball makes its return to the Olympic Games only for the Tokyo 2020 edition after a 13-year hiatus.
The group stage will be in a round-robin format, while the knockout stage will consist of six rounds, including the gold and bronze-medal matches.
Olympic baseball tournament draw:
Group A:
Japan (WR1)
Mexico (WR5)
Dominican Republic (WR7)
Group B:
Korea (WR3)
United States (WR4)
Israel (WR24)