ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

The World Baseball Softball Confederation

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) is the international governing body for the sports of baseball, softball, baseball5, and blind baseball. With 210 national associations from 145 countries, it aims to unite a billion-strong baseball-softball community by 2030.

WBSC was formed in 2013 through the merger of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and the International Softball Federation (ISF). The organization is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. Riccardo Fraccari, an Italian national, serves as the President of WBSC. In a bid to promote its sports globally, WBSC introduced baseball5, which differs mainly from traditional baseball/softball by being played without a pitcher and with the batter starting each play.

The organization has made significant strides in promoting coed slow pitch softball, having greenlit the first official WBS Coed Slow Pitch World Cup on June 9, 2022. WBSC is also planning to introduce a video game version of Baseball5 in the near future as part of its push into e-sports.

WBSC's history dates back to the early 20th century when international baseball matches were first held at the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis (USA). The International Baseball Federation was formed in 1938, and by the time of the 1950 World Cup, there were already 12 participating teams from around the world. Over the years, baseball has been included as a demonstration sport in several Olympic Games, including Stockholm in 1912, Berlin in 1936, and Managua in 1950.

The European Baseball Confederation was formed in 1953, followed by the Asian Baseball Federation in the same year. The organization's efforts have led to significant growth in baseball globally, with WBSC aiming to unite a billion-strong community of players and fans worldwide by 2030.