You can slide into this kind of conflict without anyone wanting it—an accident," a NATO defense researcher warned.

Team Canada has never advanced beyond pool play in the World Baseball Classic, but the Canadians did finish fourth at the 2004 Olympics — losing to Japan in the bronze medal game — and they’ve won a couple of gold medals at the Pan Am Games. Their roster has major-league players at most spots, giving them a fighting chance to advance.

The WBC is no longer a sideshow orbiting Major League Baseball. The tournament has shifted to spotlighting what a sport can look like when national pride, global stars and meaningful stakes collide. That shift says as much about baseball’s future as it does about one unforgettable at-bat.

The 48 teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be split among 12 groups of four clubs each. Here’s how the group stage will work.

China spent the last five years cultivating innovation and new technology at home. The next half decade will be dedicated to deploying the fruits of its labor to transform its economy – and its place in the world.

Baseball fans the world over are preparing for a treat, as the MLB teams release players from spring training to represent their nations in the World Baseball Classic.