The road to World Baseball Classic 2026 begins now. Sixteen of the 20 teams are set and all that¡¯s left is for the final four teams to battle for their places.

The first stop begins at the Taipei Qualifiers on Feb. 20 at 11:00 p.m. EST (12 p.m. on Feb. 21 local time).

Four teams -- the hosts Chinese Taipei, Spain, Nicaragua and South Africa -- will play in a round-robin to determine the first team to qualify. There will then be a second-place playoff between the second- and third-place teams to determine the second team to advance. This tournament will be followed by a second qualifier tournament in Tucson, Ariz., to fill out the final two teams in the bracket.

With rosters now released, let¡¯s break down the four teams taking part in the Taipei Qualifier.

• Full roster breakdown

CHINESE TAIPEI
2023 World Baseball Classic performance: Finished 2-2 in a five-way tie in Group A. Tiebreaker rules meant the team finished last.
WBSC rank: No. 2

It¡¯s unlucky that the team has to play in the Qualifier, but hopes should be high: Not only is the club hosting the Qualifier at the brand-new Taipei Dome, but it is coming off its first-ever gold medal in an elite men¡¯s baseball tournament. Chinese Taipei shocked the fans inside the Tokyo Dome when they snapped Japan¡¯s 27-game international winning streak to take the Premier12 gold in November.

Though much of the P12-winning pitching staff is absent, including D-backs prospect Yu-Min Lin (he pitched four shutout innings in the Premier12 championship game), manager Hao-Jiu Tseng will be able to call on 23-year-old Pirates prospect Po-Yu Chen, who posted a 4.03 ERA at Double-A Altoona last season, and A¡¯s prospects Tzu-Chen Sha (signed for $370,000 in 2023), and Chen Zhang, who struck out 84 batters in 86 innings across three levels of the Minors. All-time CPBL saves leader Yun-Wen Chen will likely be the stopper at the back of the bullpen.

On offense, star slugger and former big leaguer Yu Chang, who earned the nickname ¡°Minister of Defense¡± for his salute at first base during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, returns to the roster. He¡¯s joined by catcher Chia-Cheng ¡°Lyle¡± Lin, who had been drafted by the D-backs in 2019, and team captain Chieh-Hsien Chen.

Player to Watch: Chieh-Hsien Chen

Chen spent his teenage years playing baseball in Japan, with hopes of being selected in the NPB Draft. After going unselected, he returned to Taiwan, where all he¡¯s done is crush the ball. Across nine seasons with the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions of the CPBL, Chen has a .343/.419/.448 batting line with 33 home runs and 120 stolen bases. He took his performance to the next level at the Premier12 tournament, carrying Chinese Taipei on his back. The center-field captain hit .625 with two home runs and six RBIs, including the three-run shot to put Japan away in the title game. The performance was enough to get MLB and NPB teams to inquire about his services, but the CPBL posting window had already closed for the upcoming season.

"Please love us,¡± Chen said after the tournament. ¡°Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Never count us out."

NICARAGUA
2023 performance: 0-4 in Group D
WBSC Rank: 16

Nicaragua held its own in the team¡¯s first World Baseball Classic tournament in 2023, but they¡¯ll need to find a little more offense: The team scored exactly one run in each of its four WBC defeats.

They¡¯ll look to young Giants prospect Elian Rayo, who was exceptional in the 2023 U-23 World Cup Qualifier for Nicaragua; shortstop Benjamin Alegria, who was 6-for-12 at the WBC; and outfielder Juan Montes to provide the runs.

Brewers prospect Freddy Zamora is phenomenal with the glove but struggled with the bat, posting a .544 OPS in Triple-A. Former big leaguer Cheslor Cuthbert is also on the roster, but he is battling an injury and the impact he¡¯ll be able to have on the field is unclear.

The pitching staff should be one of the country¡¯s strengths: They¡¯ll be led by Ronald Medrano, who returns from the 2023 World Baseball Classic staff, former big leaguer J.C. Ramirez and Osman Gutierrez, who was exceptional with nine shutout innings at the 2022 Qualifier in Panama. Unfortunately, they¡¯ll be missing Duque Hebbert, the flamethrowing reliever who was signed by the Tigers after striking out Juan Soto, Julio Rodr¨ªguez and Manny Machado in the 2023 Classic.

Player to watch: Elian Rayo

Signed for $350,000 in the 2019 international signing period, Rayo advanced out of complex ball for the first time last year. In 72 games for the Single A San Jose Giants, the 21-year-old third baseman slashed .243/.328/.356 with five home runs. While the power numbers don¡¯t look impressive, Rayo dominated with two home runs at the U-23 World Cup Qualifiers and he had finished second on the Giants Arizona Complex Team in home runs the year before. Perhaps this year¡¯s Qualifiers could be his breakout.

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SPAIN
2023 performance: Went 2-2 in 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, did not qualify for tournament
WBSC Rank: 24

Spain were the favorites at the Regensburg qualifiers, but back-to-back upset losses to Great Britain and Czechia meant the Spanish finished on the outside looking in. Following that disappointment, Spain stormed back the next fall, winning its first European Championship since 1955. They¡¯ll look to use an experienced lineup to advance from pool play.

The biggest addition to the lineup this time around is former Mets cult hero Luis Guillorme, who is looking to bounce back after a difficult 2024 campaign and will replace Noelvi Marte on the infield. Former Major Leaguer Engel Beltre also returns, while Cubs outfield prospect Felix Stevens and Rays prospect Carlos Colmenarez are the players in affiliated baseball. Once signed for $3 million, Colmenarez¡¯s bat hasn¡¯t recovered since a broken hamate bone. (Perhaps new hitting coach Adam Jones can help.)

Unfortunately for Spain, they¡¯ll only have one of the Hern¨¢ndez brothers: Outfielder Frank, who was most recently in the Cubs organization, will be with the team, but his older brother Omar will miss out after being invited to Spring Training by the Royals.

Veteran and former big leaguer Rhiner Cruz is back to close out games, but Spain might miss Ronald Medrano, who allowed three runs in nine innings in the 2022 Qualifier. This time, he¡¯ll be suiting up for Nicaragua ¨C who he pitched for at the 2023 World Baseball Classic -- and may even pitch against Spain.

Player to watch: Wander Encarnaci¨®n

Encarnaci¨®n has never played in the affiliated Minors, but the 25-year-old infielder spent two years in the Spanish Divisi¨®n de Honor, before slashing .329/.412/.439 for Italian Serie A champions Parma this past season.

Encarnaci¨®n¡¯s best performance came during Spain's gold medal run at the 2023 Euros: Playing in his first major tournament for the national team, Encarnaci¨®n won tournament MVP after going 11-for-20 with 2 HRs and 11 RBIs. He¡¯ll look to replicate that performance to help send Spain back to the main tournament for the first time since 2013.

SOUTH AFRICA
2023 performance: 0-2 in 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, did not qualify for tournament.
WBSC Rank: 31

South Africa will be bringing a veteran roster to Taipei, hoping that the experience out on the field will translate into a better showing than 2022 in Regensburg. Returning is third baseman and team captain Jonathan Philips, former Major Leaguer Gift Ngoepe¡¯s younger brother Tlou Ngoepe (previously known by his middle name Victor), and shortstop Tyler Smith -- who has played for the Czech Republic ballclub Hro?i Brno the last three seasons.

The pitching staff will be led by veteran Dylan Unsworth, who was named pitcher of the year in the Venezuelan summer league, and Justin Erasmus who allowed one run in four innings of work in the 2022 Qualifier. Joshua Tribe, a 6-foot-5 righty from Melbourne, Australia -- the only player on the roster not born in South Africa -- was a redshirt freshman last year at Crowder College and could be a peek at the future.

Player to Watch: Josh November

At just 19 years old, November is the youngest player on the roster and it will be interesting to see if he manages to get any game time. The teenage catcher showed off his skills at the U-23 World Cup in September, going 6-for-20 with a remarkable seven walks to lead the team with a .481 OBP.