CHENGDU, China — The USA Softball Men’s National Team (MNT) has arrived in Chengdu, China, where the 2025 squad will compete in the World Games. Earning an automatic berth based on international rankings, the MNT will take the field at the 12th edition of The World Games (TWG), set for August 6–17, 2025, in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. The men’s softball competition will take place August 6-10, followed by the women’s competition from August 13-17. Men’s softball returns to The World Games for the first time in 44 years, having last appeared in the inaugural edition held in 1981 in Santa Clara, USA.
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Set to kick off on Wednesday, August 6, at the Xindu Better City Softball Arena, Team USA will join seven other countries in a five-day competition, with the eight teams opening the tournament in two groups. World-ranked No. 7 Team USA will compete in Group B alongside No. 4 Australia, No. 6 Canada, and No. 11 Singapore, while Group A will feature No. 1 Japan, No. 2 Venezuela, No. 3 Argentina, and No. 9 Czechia. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on August 9, with the winners moving on to the gold medal game the following day.
Highlighted by 15 members of the bronze medal squad from the 2025 WBSC Men’s World Cup Finals, the MNT roster features athletes from seven states. Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin lead the way with three players each, followed by California and Florida with two apiece. Arizona and Michigan each have one athlete represented.
Once again leading the U.S. MNT on the international stage, head coach Ron Hackett will guide Team USA in its quest for gold, alongside assistant coaches Roman Foore, Greg Hicks, and Gerald Muizelaar.
World-ranked No. 7 Team USA enters the 2025 World Games fresh off a bronze medal finish at the WBSC Men’s World Cup, where they faced off against top international opponents—including several fellow World Games contenders: Australia, Canada, Japan, Venezuela, and Argentina. The Eagles opened the tournament with a dominant 10-0 shutout over Australia, split a pair of games with Japan—including a 10-1 win to secure the bronze—and narrowly fell to reigning World Champions Venezuela, 4-6.
The softball competition will feature 20 games over five days of competition, with select games available to watch via livestream at live.theworldgames.org. Free live stats will be available on USASoftball.com.
Softball proved to be one of the most successful sports at the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, drawing record-setting attendance for both the overall tournament and a single game. The women’s competition also featured one of the youngest average athlete ages across all sports, at just 25 years old.
To learn more about the U.S. Men’s National Team, visit USASoftball.com.