Taipei: Most of the coaches picked for Taiwan's 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) team were part of the coaching staff that guided Taiwan to victory in the Premier12 tournament in 2024, manager Tseng Hao-jiu said Monday. Tseng revealed the list of coaches selected during a meeting of Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taipei, stating they will almost all be familiar faces.

According to Focus Taiwan, among the appointed coaches are Kao Chih-kang, named as the bench coach, Wang Chien-ming and Lin Yueh-ping as pitching coaches, and Peng Cheng-min and Kao Kuo-hui as hitting coaches. All expressed their willingness to work for the national team again and aim for the best results, said Tseng, who previously managed the Premier12 title team.

An 80-man list of players, who all play professionally at home or abroad, was also confirmed at Monday's meeting. Tseng mentioned he will closely monitor their performances before contacting them in December about joining the team for the 2026 WBC. The WBC, first held in 2006, was the initial international tournament featuring top professional players globally.

Taiwan faced challenges in the 2023 WBC, finishing last due to tiebreakers in a five-team pool where all teams ended 2-2. To qualify for the 2026 WBC, Taiwan defeated Spain 6-3 in a final elimination game in February 2025. The team will play its first game on March 5, 2026, against Australia at Tokyo Dome in Japan, joining Australia, South Korea, and Czechia in Pool C, alongside three-time and defending champion Japan. Only the top two teams from round-robin play in the pool will advance to the quarterfinals in the United States.