APBC 2026 Opens in Tokyo With Four-Nation Doubleheader

The 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship opens Thursday at Tokyo Dome, putting emerging professional talent from Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Australia into a four-day sprint for the title.

Korea and Australia begin the tournament at noon local time, followed by Chinese Taipei against host Japan at 7 p.m. The timing gives the APBC a clear opening-day storyline: four young starting pitchers, two games and no room for a slow start in a three-game preliminary round.

Kim Min-jun and Adam Bates open the tournament

South Korea will start 20-year-old SSG Landers right-hander Kim Min-jun against Australia. Kim went 9-3 with a 3.56 ERA across 17 KBO appearances in his rookie season, establishing himself as one of the competition’s most intriguing young arms.

Australia counters with Adam Bates, a 21-year-old right-hander in the Boston Red Sox organization. Bates is one of seven players on Australia’s roster currently signed to MLB organizations, while seven members of the squad also played in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Australia trained at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday after a preparation camp in Fuchu. The roster has been split from the country’s U-23 World Cup squad competing in Nicaragua, giving the APBC team a predominantly professional core for a difficult opening assignment.

Japan hands opener to Yumeto Kanemaru

Japan will send Chunichi Dragons left-hander Yumeto Kanemaru to the mound against Chinese Taipei. Manager Tadahito Iguchi said the team had built well through its Miyazaki camp and wants Kanemaru to focus on constructing the game one inning at a time.

Chinese Taipei starts Rakuten Monkeys left-hander Lin Tzu-Wei. The 24-year-old posted a 2.08 ERA and six wins in 31 appearances this season. Japan’s staff expects a connected lineup capable of creating pressure with its speed, making the opening batter of each inning a particular point of emphasis.

The APBC is designed as a bridge between domestic professional baseball and senior international competition. Rosters are built mainly around players aged 24 or younger or within their first three professional seasons, with each country permitted three over-age selections aged 29 or younger.

APBC schedule and format

Each team plays three preliminary-round games from Thursday through Saturday. The top two advance to Sunday’s championship game, while the third- and fourth-place teams meet for bronze.

• Thursday: Korea vs. Australia; Chinese Taipei vs. Japan
• Friday: Australia vs. Chinese Taipei; Japan vs. Korea
• Saturday: Australia vs. Japan; Korea vs. Chinese Taipei
• Sunday: Third-place game and final

This is the third edition of the tournament after events in 2017 and 2023. Japan won both previous championships, but every team arrives in Tokyo with a roster built to identify players capable of influencing the next cycle of the World Baseball Classic, Premier12 and Olympic baseball.