The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and the Italian Baseball Softball Federation (FIBS) today announced the competition dates of the XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals. The decisive battle for the title of World Champion will take place from 15 to 21 July 2024, finishing just five days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“With the Group Stage around the corner, it’s hard to find a better time to announce that the greatest softball teams and players in the world will be competing again in Europe in the summer of 2024,” said WBSC Softball Chair Craig Cress. “Next year’s Finals will be the culmination of the first Two-Stage World Cup in WBSC history, with the best of the best in the softball world playing in Italy with the Women’s Softball World Title on the line.”
“After the 2021 European Championship and the Women’s Softball World Cup Group C tournament this month, hosting the Finals of the Women’s Softball World Cup in 2024 is the fulfilment of a truly exciting journey for us,” FIBS President Andrea Marcon said. “The expected success and attention of the WBSC Softball World Cup in Italy, with the precious support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, makes for a perfect sporting summer at the top for the Old Continent with the Finals fitting perfectly between the UEFA European Championship, from June 14th to July 14th and the Olympic Games in Paris, from July 26th to August 11th.”
The XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Finals will take place at Campo Comunale da Softball in Castions di Strada, and Campo da Baseball-Softball G. Michelutti in Buttrio, in the Friuli Venezia Giuli Region in north Italy.
The XVII WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup is the first WBSC event to be played under the Two-Stage Format. The Group Stage is set to begin on 11 July at Bremore Castle in Balbriggan, Ireland, on Day 1 of Group A. Valencia, Spain, will host Group B from 18 to 22 July, while Buttrio and Castions di Strada, in Italy, will receive Group C from 22-26 July.
The top two teams from each of the three groups and two wild cards will advance to next year’s Finals. As host, Italy has a secured spot in the Finals.
The Finals will be an eight-team single round robin from 15 to 20 July 2024, with the first and second place teams playing on 21 July for the World Championship. Third and fourth place finishers will compete for the bronze medal.
Credit: WSBC