Dodgers owner Frank McCourt confirmed on Thursday at a press conference at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles that the final of the World Baseball Classic in March 2009 takes place at his stadium. McCourt said, “We are excited and honored to be hosting the championships of the 2009 World Baseball Classic. We have embraced the international game for a long time and it is only fitting that we open the gates to Dodger Stadium to the fans from all around the world.”
The tournament starts on March 5 with the preliminary round on four occasions outside the United States. They also announced the four pools à four team, with the two Europeans, Italy and the Netherlands, playing in Toronto, Canada and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The top two each will advance into the second round, located in San Diego and Miami. The semi-finals and final are scheduled for March 21 to 23 in Los Angeles. The first two rounds are played in a double elimination format.
Pool A at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan: China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea
Pool B at the Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico: Australia, Cuba, Mexico and South Africa
Pool C at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada: Canada, Italy, USA and Venezuela
Pool D at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico: Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama and Puerto Rico