The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic is now in the elimination round. If you’re planning to watch MLB’s World Cup of Baseball today, below you can check out Friday’s game, upcoming matchups on the World Baseball Classic schedule and other important details on this year’s WBC, including how to watch.

wbc program today

What channel is the World Baseball Classic on?

If you plan to watch the World Baseball Classic game in the United States today, e-matchups for the WBC can be found on FOX’s family of sports networks. they are channels fox, fs1, FS2, Fox Deportes (Spanish), pipe, fox sports app

Who advances to the WBC quarterfinals?

After four games of pool play, the teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals or elimination rounds of the World Baseball Classic are the United States, Korea, Dominican Republic, Canada, Puerto Rico, Italy, Venezuela, and Japan.

Upcoming WBC Events

When is the World Baseball Classic finals?

The 2026 WBC Finals take place Tuesday, March 17 at 8PM ET on FOX.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic is now in the elimination round. If you’re planning to watch MLB’s World Cup of Baseball today, below you can check out Friday’s games, upcoming matchups on the World Baseball Classic schedule and other important details on this year’s WBC, including how to watch.

wbc program today

What channel is the World Baseball Classic on?

If you plan to watch the World Baseball Classic game in the United States today, e-matchups for the WBC can be found on FOX’s family of sports networks. they are channels fox, fs1, FS2, Fox Deportes (Spanish), pipe, fox sports app

Who advances to the WBC quarterfinals?

After four games of pool play, the teams that have advanced to the quarterfinals or elimination rounds of the World Baseball Classic are the United States, Korea, Dominican Republic, Canada, Puerto Rico, Italy, Venezuela, and Japan.

Upcoming WBC Events

When is the World Baseball Classic finals?

The 2026 WBC Finals take place Tuesday, March 17 at 8PM ET on FOX.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Team USA lost an influential member of its pitching staff before a big game in the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic, as the New York Mets demanded he be sent back to spring training.

Team USA is feeling a lot of pressure ahead of the start of the elimination rounds at this year’s World Baseball Classic. After a surprise loss to Italy earlier this week, the United States needed the Italians to beat Mexico on Wednesday night to avoid going home early from the tournament.

Nevertheless, they are expected to defeat Canada in their quarterfinal game and move one step closer to winning their first WBC title in nearly a decade. However, it looks like they won’t have two-time All-Star Clay Holmes for the matchup with Canada and any other games in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

NY Mets demand Clay Holmes withdrawal from World Baseball Classic

“Clay Holmes will return to the Mets from the World Baseball Classic and take part in tomorrow’s Grapefruit League game,” MLB Network’s Anthony DiComo reports. “The Mets wanted him back because Team USA could not guarantee him the workload he needed for the season.”

Despite Team USA having four games under their belt during pool play, Holmes has only taken the mound once. This happened during their win over Great Britain last week when he pitched three scoreless innings and struck out six.

With Holmes set to be a part of the NY Mets’ starting rotation again in 2026, it’s understandable if the organization feels he isn’t being prepared adequately for the start of the season in a few weeks.

This is a significant reduction in the WBC for American fans, as MLB teams are prioritizing their goals over Team USA. So now the US club will have no meaningful respite for some big matches in the next few days.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The Athletic has live coverage of Canada vs Czechia in the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey quarterfinal.

MILAN — The quarterfinals at the Olympic men’s hockey tournament are set following Tuesday’s qualifying-round action. Here’s a look at all four of Wednesday’s matchups.

No. 7 Sweden vs. No. 2 USA

There’s no shame in silver. But for the world’s greatest hockey players, particularly those from one of the world’s greatest hockey countries, there’s not exactly a ton of pride in it, either.

“I’ve got a silver medal at home,” Sweden’s Gabriel Landeskog said. “And I guess it’s something that sits there. Doesn’t mean as much as if it would have been a gold medal. If it’s a gold medal, it’s very different. We all want to win; that’s what we were kind of bred to do.”

Sweden’s road to gold starts in earnest Wednesday night against the United States, a gold-medal-level matchup that’s happening in the quarterfinals thanks to Slovakia’s surprising Group B victory. After three round-robin games and Tuesday’s perfunctory 5-1 rout of Latvia, the real do-or-die games start now. And while Canada and the United States — the other two gold-medal favorites — cruised into the quarters with three easy wins and a bye, Team Sweden has scuffled and shuffled its way here.

And they might be better off for it.

“You can cruise through it and then all of a sudden you’re tested in a way you weren’t prepared for,” Sweden coach Sam Hallam said. “It gives you a better feeling now that we’ve had these small things go wrong every game and had to look at things, adjust small things.”

It’s something Landeskog is getting a taste of with the Colorado Avalanche this season. After one of the best starts in NHL history — 31-2-7 — the Avs have lost nine of their last 15 games. Hardly a crisis, but potentially beneficial in the long run.

“That’s the same as over there, same as in the NHL,” Landeskog said. “You’re going to run into adversity at some point, and how you manage that is how you’re going to define yourself as a group, and how you handle that is up to us in the locker room. We’ve stumbled in the tournament so far. We’ve also shown some really good things, so for us, it’s just a matter of continuing to build, understanding that hopefully we’ve got another week to go here and understanding that we need to be playing our best hockey at the most important time, which is right now.”

The U.S., meanwhile, caught something of a bad break by virtue of Slovakia’s group win. Instead of facing a second-tier team, the second-seeded Americans get a seventh-seeded Swedish team full of NHL stars.

“(Wednesday) could be our last day,” U.S. defenseman Quinn Hughes said. “So we’ve got to be prepared. Playing a really good team.”

Based on Tuesday’s practice, U.S. coach Mike Sullivan seems to have locked his lines in place, with Jack Eichel centering Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, Auston Matthews centering Jake Guentzel and Matt Boldy, and Dylan Larkin centering Clayton Keller and Tage Thompson. Keller replaced Kyle Connor in the last group-stage game, as the Winnipeg Jets star finds himself a healthy scratch on the international stage for the second time in 12 months, following last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

The Americans certainly have an edge in goal. Connor Hellebuyck is sharp and rested, while Hallam will have to either go with Jacob Markström for the second time in 21 hours or with Filip Gustavsson (who was a little shaky against Italy and Finland) or 23-year-old Jesper Wallstedt (who has yet to play in this tournament).

The U.S. hasn’t yet been at its best — at least, what should be its best given the talent on the roster — in this tournament. The Americans’ game has been a little inconsistent, a little scruffy. But they feel they’re getting closer to their ceiling. No time like the present to find it.

“I think we’re just continuing to find our game,” said Jack Hughes, on the fourth line with Brock Nelson and J.T. Miller. “Getting more comfortable with each other, more comfortable with the systems. Obviously now it’s the quarters, so you’ve got to really lock in. But it’s such a short tournament. You’ve got to find your game early. Play each game with the same intensity and play hard.”

Added Dylan Larkin: “It’s nerve-wracking. It is. It gets you going, and I think that’s what brings out the best in guys. I’m excited for it. Every play, every puck’s going to matter.”

After the Swedes’ win over Latvia, their attention turned immediately to the Americans. The last time these two teams met, at the 4 Nations, Sweden eked out a 2-1 victory.

“We’ve got to stay out of the box,” said Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, who noted that “selfishly” he was glad to get an extra game in as he works his way back to midseason form after missing nearly two months with an injury. “They’ve got a phenomenal power play, a lot of weapons on it. It hasn’t been too long since we played them in 4 Nations, but obviously some different personnel, Quinn Hughes is back. We’ve just got to make sure that we’re physical on their skill, try to stay out of the box, and play a patient game.”

No. 8 Czech Republic vs. No. 1 Canada

It is a rematch of the Olympic opener for both teams after Team Canada trounced the Czech Republic 5-0 last Thursday.

“I think last time we actually had a decent start against Canada, we had some chances, we know what we need to do, we have to play simple, put (pucks) behind, get a good forecheck, get to the net and find a way to score at least some goals,’’ Czech center Tomáš Hertl said after his team’s 3-2 win Tuesday over Denmark in the qualifying playoffs. “We can’t be scared. If we wait and wait, we know what they can do. They have the best player on the planet on the team. They can destroy you.

“You have to just play with confidence,” continued the Vegas Golden Knights center. “We can’t think about who is on the ice, because all four lines are good for them. You have to enjoy it and play hard. It’s one game, you know? You never know what can happen. We can get some bounces, we can score early, and it can go our way.”

But Hertl stressed again that what the Czechs can’t do is just sit back.

Besides, Hertl joked, it’s all part of their plan right now, playing Canada twice in six days.

“That was our plan because we said we probably can’t beat Canada in the same tournament twice,” he said, smiling. “We gave them the first win so now it’s our time!”

Veteran defenseman Radko Gudas said staying out of the penalty box against the No. 1-ranked power play in the tournament (44 percent) is paramount.

“They have some unbelievable players on their power play,” Gudas said. “Then putting pucks in areas where we can get it back, make sure that we make them turn every time. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. It’s going to be fun.

“Anyone who can’t get motivated for that game tomorrow, there’s something seriously wrong with them. They shouldn’t be playing hockey. So it’s going to be a great challenge for us but we’re looking forward to it. If we want to get a medal, we have to beat the best teams.”

The Czechs were a little too cautious and looked nervous early on in their win over Denmark on Tuesday. It wasn’t a very convincing performance. They’ll need a much better effort Wednesday.

Canadian captain Sidney Crosby was asked Tuesday after practice what significance, if any, there would be to play the Czechs again for the second time in six days.

“Maybe a bit more familiar,’’ Crosby said. “But at this point, you’ve got to go out there and play the game and execute. So regardless of how many times you played each other, I think you still got to go out there and do it.”

Added Bo Horvat: “I obviously expect them to play us hard again. They played us hard the first game. You know, they’ve continued to keep getting better throughout the tournament, and we got to be ready to go, for sure.”

The Czechs did try to set a noticeable physical tempo in the opener, but it didn’t produce the desired results. Canada didn’t back down on the physical stuff.

“I thought we matched that really well,” Horvat said. “We try to match anybody that we play. They came out hard and they came out strong and I thought we matched that really well. So we expect them to come out harder. Playing us hard again. So we’ve got to match that again.”

Team Canada veteran Brad Marchand could be back in the lineup Wednesday and may get another crack at facing former Bruins teammate David Pastrňák, with whom he says he’s remained close.

“I love Pasta,” said Marchand. “… I’ve loved where his game has gotten. He’s such a competitor. He was always a great player, but he was streaky early on. He’d get really hot and then really cold. He works extremely hard at his game and he’s become one of the top-five players in the game. He’s incredible, the way he controls the play every time he’s on the ice. His consistency level is at the top of the league. It’s really incredible what he’s done. And it doesn’t matter who he’s playing with. You could put him with the top guys on the team or some younger guys who are just learning the game and he’s going to affect the game the same way. He’s a very, very impressive player.”

Pastrňák had an assist in Sunday’s game but overall, still not the kind of play expected from a star of his caliber.

“Honestly, I haven’t played my best here yet, so just waiting, and hopefully I saved it for tomorrow,’’ Pastrňák said after the game Tuesday.

Martin Nečas of the Colorado Avalanche scored again Sunday on a blistering slap shot to the top corner. He’s been carrying the Czechs so far.

“His ability of skating and escaping in the tight spaces, he’s an incredible skater and he’s becoming a star year by year,’’ Pastrňák said of Necas.” Every year he’s getting better. It’s fun to see. Really happy for him, and glad I can help him out, and he knows I’m here for him. He’s fun to watch.”

No. 5 Switzerland vs. No. 4 Finland

This has upset potential, although Finland has rebounded strongly ever since opening the Olympics with a 4-1 loss to Slovakia, beating rival Sweden 4-1 and smoking Italy 11-0.

“Amazing team and amazing players,’’ Swiss captain Roman Josi said after the game Tuesday of Finland. “Every time the Finns play a tournament, whether it’s world championships or Olympics, they are always one of the favorites. They play really good as a team, so we will have to be at our best.”

Still, the Swiss are back-to-back silver medalists at the IIHF World Championships and have won three of their four games following Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Italy in the qualifying playoffs.

The Swiss also got a boost against Italy with the return of defenseman Andrea Glauser from a suspected concussion. Though he only played a little under 11 minutes and did not start the game with Josi, his regular partner, the fact that he was in uniform bodes well for his availability against Finland.

The Finns would be wise to stay out of the box; Switzerland has the third-ranked power play in the tournament at 31 percent after scoring two more with the man advantage Tuesday. The Swiss also have the second-ranked penalty kill (92 percent) in the tournament.

But, as Josi noted, Finland is always a medal threat — the country has failed to medal at only one of the five Olympics that included NHL players — and this year is no different.

Finland is always defined by team play and defense; the Finns have allowed two five-on-five goals at these Olympics.

“(The) win against Sweden showed for ourselves how we have to play to be able to win. It’s going to be like that in the next round,” Finland captain Mikael Granlund said after the win against Italy. “It’s going to be a highly skilled game where we have to be at our best all the time. (We’re) a really experienced group. We know what we need to do to be able to win games. That’s what we have to focus on.”

Slovakia’s Juraj Slafkovský has 10 goals in 10 Olympic Games since 2022. (Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

No. 6 Germany vs. No. 3 Slovakia

Just 21 hours after beating France to advance to the quarterfinals, Germany will be playing Slovakia in a win-or-go-home game. It’ll be Germany’s third game in four days, and fifth in seven. Slovakia, meanwhile, will be coming off three straight off days.

Can adrenaline make up the recovery gap for Germany? This is the Olympics, after all.

“It’ll help for sure,” German captain Leon Draisaitl said after an uneventful 5-1 victory over France on Tuesday. “It’s a big game, it’s a do-or-die game, right? So adrenaline will be going. We’ll make sure we’ll be ready to go.”

Thanks to Slovakia’s group win, eighth-ranked Germany won’t have to face any of the traditional powers in the quarterfinal. In fact, with Draisaitl, Tim Stützle, JJ Peterka, Moritz Seider and Philipp Grubauer in net, Germany could be seen as the favorite, despite their unremarkable group-stage performance. (And were Germany to win, and the other favorites prevail, the semifinals would be Canada-Germany and U.S.-Finland, meaning a vastly tougher road to a gold medal for the Americans than the Canadians.) But Slovakia won that group for a reason. Juraj Slafkovský and the Slovaks are rested and riding high. It won’t be easy.

“It’s always a great game against them, always hard,” Germany’s Nico Sturm said. “Especially when we play them, it’s always a battle. I expect a grind from start to finish.”

Neither team was considered a serious contender coming into this tournament, yet one of them will be playing for a medal. And both have good reason to think it’ll be them.

“It’s in your head, but you don’t want to focus on that, you want to focus on the game and just play your best game and then we will see how it ends up,” Slovak defenseman Šimon Nemec said. “We just have to play our best game, just put 100 percent effort and we will see. But yeah, we know we have a big chance to win.”

“We’re one game away from it, so we think about it and prepare the best way we can for (Wednesday),” said forward Dalibor Dvorský. “The people (back home) are really happy. The whole nation is watching. We just love playing good for our country and hopefully we can make our fans even more happy in the next two games here.”

Sturm said Slafkovský is becoming one of the elite goal scorers and playmakers in the NHL. His 10 goals in 10 Olympic Games since 2022 is the stuff of legends. So Germany better rest up.

“It’s important what we do now for the next 20 hours,” Sturm said. “Probably not going to have a ton of beers.”

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories and content you may have missed Tuesday.

montreal canadiens news

We’ve reached the Montreal Canadiens’ top 10 prospects, as voted by you Habs fans. Thanks to his impressive size and untapped potential, towering Kelowna Rockets forward Hayden Poupaneakis bursts into the top 10. [Canadiens Top 20 Prospects: No.10 The Towering Paupanekis]

Juraj Slafkowski, Nick Suzuki and Oliver Kapanen should be in uniform Wednesday morning, representing their respective countries at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The quarterfinals will start early, as Slafkovsky and Team Slovakia will face Team Germany at 6:10 a.m. [Canadiens Olympic Schedule: Three Players In Quarterfinals]

Suzuki anchored the third line between Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel and Florida Panthers winger Sam Reinhart at Team Canada practice on Tuesday.

🇨🇦 lines on practice

Celebrini – McDavid – Wilson
Marner-Crosby-Stone
Hegel-Suzuki-Reinhart
Marchand – Horvat – Jarvis

toz – capricorn
Morrissey – Parayko
harley-doughty
Sanheim – Theodore

Binnington
thompson
kuemper

Absent: McKinnon, Bennett@TSN_Sports

– Mark Masters (@markhmasters) 17 February 2026

As for Slafkowski, he has clearly been one of Italy’s best players, and is being recognized as such by many outlets.

Duthie asked Friedman who he thought was the best non-Canadian player in the tournament so far: “Slafkowski, the best non-Canadian player in this tournament so far. Excellent”. #GoHabsGo 🇸🇰

– NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) 17 February 2026

The Habs were back in action Tuesday, although some players were missing from practice. Obviously, the Olympians were not in Brossard, but Patrik Laine, who was scheduled to return to play in the near future, missed practice with a lower body injury and is considered day-to-day.

Forward Patrik Laine will not participate in today’s training (lower body, daily evaluation).

Forward Patrik Laine will not participate in today’s practice (lower body being evaluated on a daily basis).

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 17 February 2026

Alex Newhook practiced, but was wearing a non-contact jersey. Newhook’s original recovery period was four months, meaning he should be ready in mid-March. That being said, his recovery is going pretty well, maybe even better than anticipated when the injury first occurred.

Alex Newhook, who broke his ankle on Nov. 13, is on the ice #hubs Practice this afternoon at Brossard wearing a blue non-contact sweater #hubs pic.twitter.com/tQ9xWgf5yf

– Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) 17 February 2026

New goaltending coach Marco Marciano was also working hard, spending time working on the nuances of the game with his new students.

True to form, Marco Marciano imparts his knowledge to the two goalkeepers with all the energy he is known for, exuding gestures and lively explanations.

For their part, Samuel Montebault and Jacob Dobbs are particularly attentive and receptive… pic.twitter.com/cq9Q0ynuAw

– Patrick Guillet (@PatGuillet) 17 February 2026

Shockingly or not, Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov were among the first players to hit the ice during practice.

we are here again

joy, we’re back#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/wr4g8h4RkG

– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) 17 February 2026

Sportsknot Network

Calle Makar, Quinn Hughes, Miro Heiskanen, Roman Josi and Rasmus Dahlin are some of the best defensemen in the NHL. All play for their respective countries in the 2026 Winter Olympics, making them among the best blueliners in the world. And yet, during the preliminary rounds, none of them rank as top defenders in the offensive zone. That ranking goes to New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec. [New Jersey Devils]

The Toronto Maple Leafs were back on Tuesday for their first practice of the Olympic break. And there was some good news, as some of the walking wounded reported feeling better after the discharge. [Toronto Maple Leafs]

The first Pittsburgh Penguins practice since the Olympic break began Tuesday brought good news professionally and personally at the UPMC Lemieux Complex. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

Three players from the Montreal Canadiens are set to compete in the men’s hockey quarter-finals at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano-Cortina.

Quarterfinal No. 1, Slovakia vs. Germany, 6:10 am ET/ 3:10 pm PT

Juraj Slafkovsky and Team Slovakia will face Team Germany to begin the quarterfinal festivities, one of the benefits gained by securing the No. 3 seed during the qualifying round.

All things considered, it’s been another dream performance for Slafkovsky at the Olympics, with three goals and three assists in just three games. Not only is he the leading scorer for his country, but he is also their de facto leader on the ice, setting the tone for the rest of the Slovaks on what can only be described as a lucky team that has done a great job of capitalizing on their hockey passion.

Men’s Hockey 🏒 What a goal by Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkowski! Between Slovakia and Sweden it is 1 to 1.@LNH_FR#MilanoCortina2026 #rcsports #Hockey #teamcanada #olympic games pic.twitter.com/frJpxGVdmX

– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) 14 February 2026

Keep in mind, Slovakia has approximately 5.5 million citizens, which is about the same population as Alberta or British Columbia.

Punching well above their weight is the name of the game for Slafkovsky and the Slovaks, however, and they will be considered favorites when they face Germany on Wednesday.

That being said, Germany have one of the best players in the world in Leon Draisaitl on their roster, meaning Slovakia cannot take their opponents lightly.

James Duthie: “Who has influenced you, outside of Canada 🇨🇦 or the US 🇺🇸?”

Elliotte Friedman: “Juraj Slafkowski 🇸🇰, the best non-Canadian player in the tournament so far.” pic.twitter.com/B8dbVKaxjB

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 17 February 2026

Quarterfinal No. 2, Canada vs. Czechia, 9:10 am ET/ 6:10 am PT

Nick Suzuki and Team Canada will put their undefeated record on the line when they take on Czechia in the second quarter-final.

Without trying to dabble in the usual arrogance of Canadian hockey, Czechia will have their hands full as they face one of the best teams ever.

David Pastrnak had this to say about Czechia’s match against Canada in the quarterfinals yesterday:

“This might be the best team we’ve ever played, so maybe we have to put respect aside a little bit and try to take their game to them.”

– Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) 17 February 2026

Canada is not only the top seed in the tournament, but they also easily defeated the Czechs 5–0 in their tournament opener. Suzuki scored a goal in that game on a great pass from Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.

It remains to be seen where Suzuki will play in the lineup, as there is a chance John Cooper may want to use him in a shutdown role, but suffice it to say that the criticism of Suzuki throughout the Olympics has little basis in reality.

Can we stop this nonsense that Nick Suzuki is playing great hockey? Anyone below Mark Stone should honestly sit in front of Nick. Credit : @dimfilipovic pic.twitter.com/lnvWeUBqcU

– TURP (@JFTurpin) 17 February 2026

Quarterfinal No. 3, Finland vs Switzerland, 12:10 pm ET/ 9:10 pm PT

The third quarterfinal could include a Montreal Canadiens player, though there’s no guarantee Oliver Kapanen will finally get a chance to make a change on the Olympic ice.

As one of the youngest players in the lineup, his lack of playing time has not been unusual, although it must be said that he is one of the most productive players in the Finnish lineup, with 18 NHL goals to his name.

On that note, former Canadiens forward Joel Armia currently leads the Finns in scoring with two goals and two assists. Another former Hab, Sven Andrighetto, should feature prominently in the third quarterfinal match. The 32-year-old Swiss native has provided three assists in four games representing his country.

Quarterfinal No. 4, United States vs. Sweden, 3:10 PM ET/ 12:10 PM PT

The fourth and final game of the day will not feature any members of the Montreal Canadiens organization, although it remains to be seen if the Americans will regret their roster selection, as they overlooked both Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield.

Passive-aggressiveness aside, Team USA earned the second seed in the tournament, showing that they clearly brought one of the most talented teams to Italy.

As far as Sweden is concerned, relatively speaking their performance in international tournaments remains weak. This does not mean that they fail to win any game, but they fall short when it matters most. To their credit, Sweden won a gold medal in 2006, although it was only their second gold medal in Olympic history.

Despite having one of the most talented rosters at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, they will represent the seventh seed in the quarterfinals.

All Montreal Canadiens and 2026 Winter Olympic Games information via the IIHF.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont