On March 6, the Island will make its debut in the World Baseball Classic against Panama.
14ymedio, Havana, February 15, 2026 – Cuba barely managed to secure third place in a second-tier tournament. On Friday night, Team Asere defeated Panama’s Las Águilas Metropolitanas 7–2 to claim the bronze medal in the second edition of the Serie de las Américas baseball tournament, a championship created as an alternative for winter league teams that do not participate in the Caribbean Series.
Filled with a narrative bordering on the epic, official media stated that “the Cubans turned every hit into an epic verse: they withstood the Panamanian flight, steadied their nerves and, like an Island that never surrenders, closed the tournament with a victory that tasted of honor and memory.”
The national team led by Germán Mesa, which last year ranked 12th in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) standings—the worst position for the Island since this system was created in 2011—scored two runs in the first inning, setting the tone of the game early. However, the Panamanians tied it in the second inning with a home run by Edgard Muñoz.
In the third inning, Cuba again showed offensive power and drove in four runs. The game remained unchanged until the sixth inning, when Roel Santos brought in the Island’s seventh run of the afternoon.
“I’m happy because the work paid off and I was able to help the team. We knew this game was important and we came out fighting from the very first moment,” said Christian Rodríguez, one of Cuba’s standout players in the tournament.
“It wasn’t an elite team, but it was a team that fought hard and won a medal. I’m very self-critical”
The celebratory mood was tempered by the Cuban manager’s final remarks, as he admitted that the squad “wasn’t an elite team, but it was a team that fought hard and won a medal. I’m very self-critical, I always want a little more, but the result is fine.”
Although Team Cuba leaves the tournament with a medal, the result falls short of ideal, given that the event is second-tier, as the region’s strongest teams were simultaneously competing in the Caribbean Series in Mexico. In this second edition of the Serie de las Américas, which is not sanctioned by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC), the participants included Cuba (represented by its national team), Panama (Águilas Metropolitanas), Nicaragua (Leones de León), Colombia (Caimanes de Barranquilla), Venezuela (Navegantes del Magallanes), Curaçao (Willemstad Cannons), and Argentina (Club Daom).
In the regular phase, Team Asere finished third with three wins and three losses. With those results, Germán Mesa’s squad advanced to the semifinals, where it was humiliated 9–1 by Navegantes del Magallanes, the team that went on to win the title 10–9 against Caimanes de Barranquilla, also on Friday night, at the Monumental de Caracas stadium.
Thus, Cuba began its road to the World Baseball Classic with a failure in Venezuela. The team will next travel to Nicaragua, where it will play exhibition games against opponents yet to be determined. The preparation schedule also includes two more games during spring training in Arizona: the first against the Kansas City Royals on March 3, and the following day against the Cincinnati Reds.
On March 6, the Island will make its World Baseball Classic debut against Panama at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, provided that the United States grants the necessary visas, something Germán Mesa is confident about. Two days later, Cuba will face Colombia. On March 9, it will take on the host team and will close its participation two days later against Canada. Team Asere will try, at the very least, to match its most recent performance in 2023, when it finished fourth after losing to Mexico, though still far from its feat in 2006, when it reached the final and fell to Japan.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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