The Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation states that its exclusion from the 2026 Caribbean Series, which will now be held in Mexico, disrespectful.
In a statement, the Federation clarified that although the invitation originated in Venezuela, the original host of this edition, it was endorsed by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC), the tournament’s governing body, of which Cuba is a founding member.
According to the statement, the Caribbean entity has not communicated with the Cuban Baseball and Softball Federation “regarding such an important decision, which undermines the established commitments and the format approved by our country to participate.”
At this point, he emphasized that the change of venue does not justify Cuba’s non-participation, which, moreover, deserves and demands respectful treatment, especially given the sensitive nature of the situation for national sport.
The CBPC announced earlier that the winter classic, scheduled for February 1-7, will be held in Guadalajara, after approving the proposal submitted by the ARCO Mexican Pacific League, spearheaded by the Charros de Jalisco organization.
The change came after Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic withdrew from the originally planned venue in Greater Caracas, due to logistical reasons unrelated to the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
The 2026 Caribbean Series will bring together five teams: the champions of the leagues of Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, with the expectation of adding the Venezuelan champion, as well as Panama as a guest country.
The dispossession of Greater Caracas as the setting for the Caribbean classic takes place in a context of military harassment, aggression and encirclement by the United States against the Bolivarian Republic, whose president Donald Trump recently expressed his intentions to seize the oil and other riches of the South American nation.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
