Image source, ReutersImage caption, Venezuela celebrates after the victory in Miami
ByClaire Keenan- Published6 hours ago
Venezuela has beaten Team USA to claim the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time in a thrilling final.
The 3-2 result in Miami on Tuesday stunned the star-studded US team, who had hoped to emerge triumphant after losing the final in 2023.
"Nobody believed in Venezuela but now we win the championship today," Eugenio Suárez, Venezuela's third baseman, said.
"This is a celebration for all the Venezuelan country," he added.
The win comes at a time of political turmoil for the country following the US government's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during a military raid in January.
Crowds cheered loudly as Suárez drove in the winning run in the top of the ninth inning, as players quickly ran onto the pitch in celebration.
Some players were draped in Venezuelan flags, as were spectators in the stands.
The US have won only one of the WBC's six titles since the event began in 2006.
This year's tournament was the first WBC to feature the holders of Major League Baseball's four most prestigious awards - Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
This video can not be played
Media caption,Venezuela beats USA to claim World Baseball Classic
Related topics
Why the World Baseball Classic means so much to USA
- Published5 March
Morocco awarded Afcon title after CAF overturns result
- Published8 hours ago
Major League Baseball signs deals with Netflix, ESPN and NBCUniversal
- Published20 November 2025
