Baseball is most popular in the United States, Japan, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. All 10 countries ranked by MLB players, leagues and titles.
Baseball evolved from older English bat-and-ball games in the 18th century, and its modern rules were set in the United States in the mid-1800s. Today it is a national passion in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan and in the Caribbean and Venezuela, where a steady stream of players reaches Major League Baseball.
Below you will find the full ranking, a profile of every country, a table of the nations with the best World Baseball Classic, Olympic and Premier12 records, and answers to the questions people search for most often.
Countries where baseball is most popular:
Baseball Popularity by Country at a Glance
| Rank | Country | MLB Opening Day 2025 players | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | United States | About 690 | Birthplace of the modern game, MLB |
| #2 | Japan | 12 | Three WBC titles, NPB attendance record |
| #3 | Dominican Republic | 100 | Leads MLB in foreign-born players since 1995 |
| #4 | Venezuela | 63 | 2026 World Baseball Classic champions |
| #5 | Cuba | 26 | Three Olympic golds, record MLB count in 2025 |
| #6 | South Korea | 3 | KBO attendance records, 2008 Olympic gold |
| #7 | Mexico | 11 | Liga Mexicana, Premier12 bronze in 2019 |
| #8 | Puerto Rico | 16 | Twice WBC runners-up, host of WBC games |
| #9 | Taiwan | 0 | Premier12 champions 2024, CPBL boom |
| #10 | Canada | 13 | Toronto Blue Jays, 13 MLB players |
How We Ranked the Countries
Baseball has no worldwide player register, so we did not rank countries by an invented participation number. We weighed the size and attendance of the professional leagues, the number of players each country sends to Major League Baseball, and results at the World Baseball Classic, the Olympic Games and the WBSC Premier12.
The comparison number in the table is the number of players on MLB’s 2025 Opening Day rosters and inactive lists, as counted by MLB itself. For the United States the figure is derived from MLB’s statement that 265 foreign-born players made up 27.8 percent of the total, which gives roughly 690 American-born players. Countries with strong domestic leagues but few MLB players, such as Taiwan, are ranked on the strength of those leagues.
#1 United States
- 📅 Rules: Knickerbocker Rules written in 1845
- 🏟️ Leagues: National League founded 1876, American League a major league from 1901
- 🥇 Olympics: Gold in 2000, 4 medals in total from 1992 to 2020
- 🏆 WBC: Champions in 2017, runners-up in 2023 and 2026
Baseball is called America’s Pastime. The Knickerbocker Rules of 1845 laid down the modern game, the National League was founded in 1876 and the American League became a major league in 1901. Jackie Robinson broke the major leagues’ colour barrier in 1947.
The United States won the World Baseball Classic in 2017 with an 8-0 final against Puerto Rico and lost the 2023 final to Japan and the 2026 final to Venezuela, 3-2 in Miami. The country won Olympic gold in 2000 and has four medals from the five Olympic tournaments played between 1992 and 2020.
#2 Japan
- 🏆 WBC: 3 titles: 2006, 2009 and 2023
- 👥 NPB attendance: Record 27,040,286 in 2025
- 🥇 Olympics: Gold at Tokyo 2020, 4 medals in total
- 📅 Premier12: Champions in 2019, runners-up in 2024
Baseball is the biggest spectator sport in Japan. Nippon Professional Baseball drew a record 27,040,286 fans in 2025 (an average of about 31,500 per game), up slightly on 26,681,715 in 2024.
Japan has won the World Baseball Classic three times, in 2006, 2009 and 2023 (a 3-2 final against the United States), and took Olympic gold on home soil at Tokyo 2020. It also won the 2019 Premier12 and lost the 2024 final to Chinese Taipei.
#3 Dominican Republic
- 👥 MLB 2025: 100 Opening Day players, the most of any foreign country
- 📈 Season 2025: 137 Dominican players appeared in at least one MLB game
- 🏆 WBC: Champions in 2013 with a 3-0 final against Puerto Rico
- 🥉 Olympics: Bronze at Tokyo 2020
No country outside the United States sends more players to Major League Baseball than the Dominican Republic. It has led MLB’s annual count of foreign-born players every year since 1995, and had 100 players on 2025 Opening Day rosters and inactive lists.
The national team won the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and took the bronze medal in the Olympic baseball tournament at Tokyo 2020. Many MLB clubs run their own training academies on the island.
#4 Venezuela
UCinternational (Crop), Venezuela national baseball team on November 7, 2015, scaling by sportsfoundation.org, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 👥 MLB 2025: 63 Opening Day players, second among foreign countries
- 🏆 WBC 2026: Beat the United States 3-2 in the final in Miami
- 🏟️ LVBP 2025-26: 80th season, attendance 1,021,971
- 📈 Growth: Attendance up from 776,694 the season before
Venezuela supplied 63 players to MLB Opening Day rosters in 2025, second only to the Dominican Republic among foreign countries. Its winter league, the LVBP, played its 80th season in 2025-26 and drew 1,021,971 fans, up from 776,694 the year before.
In 2026 the national team won its first World Baseball Classic, beating the United States 3-2 in the final at loanDepot Park in Miami. The tournament as a whole drew 1,619,839 fans across 47 games.
#5 Cuba
- 🥇 Olympics: 3 golds (1992, 1996, 2004) and 2 silvers, 5 medals in total
- 👥 MLB 2025: 26 Opening Day players, a record for the country
- 🏆 WBC: Runners-up in 2006
- 📅 Serie Nacional: Played since 1961-62
Cuba has the best Olympic record in baseball with five medals (three golds, two silvers) from the 1992 to 2020 tournaments. Its national championship, the Serie Nacional, has been played since 1961-62.
Many Cuban players now play abroad. A record 26 Cubans were on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2025, surpassing the previous high of 23 set in 2016, 2017 and 2022, and Cuba was runner-up at the first World Baseball Classic in 2006.
#6 South Korea
- 👥 KBO attendance: About 12.3 million in 2025, a record
- 🥇 Olympics: Gold in 2008, bronze in 2000 and 2020
- 🏆 Premier12: Champions in 2015
- 📅 MLB 2025: 3 Opening Day players
Baseball is one of the most popular spectator sports in South Korea. The KBO League drew about 12.3 million fans in 2025 (roughly 17,100 per game), a record and well above the 10.9 million of 2024, with 331 sellouts.
South Korea won Olympic gold at Beijing 2008 and took bronze in 2000 and at Tokyo 2020. It won the first Premier12 in 2015 and was runner-up at the 2009 World Baseball Classic and the 2019 Premier12.
#7 Mexico
- 👥 MLB 2025: 11 Opening Day players
- 🏟️ LMB 2019: 8,911,290 fans over 1,333 games
- 🏆 Premier12: Third place in 2019
- 📅 Hosting: Staged WBC games in 2009 and 2017
The Liga Mexicana de Beisbol drew 8,911,290 fans across 1,333 games in 2019, an average of 6,685 per game, and in 2025 the Diablos Rojos del Mexico set a club record of 592,153 fans over 41 home dates.
Mexico finished third at the 2019 Premier12, which it co-hosted, and staged World Baseball Classic games in 2009 and 2017. Eleven Mexican players were on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2025.
#8 Puerto Rico
- 👥 MLB 2025: 16 Opening Day players
- 🏆 WBC: Runners-up in 2013 and 2017
- 📅 Hosting: Staged games in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2026
Puerto Rico produces more MLB players than its size suggests, with 16 on 2025 Opening Day rosters and inactive lists. The island staged World Baseball Classic games in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2026.
The national team reached the final in 2013 and 2017 and lost both, 3-0 to the Dominican Republic and 8-0 to the United States.
#9 Taiwan
- 🏆 Premier12: Champions in 2024, 4-0 over Japan
- 👥 CPBL 2025: Average attendance above 10,000 for the first time (10,373)
- 🏟️ Venue: Taipei Dome, capacity 40,000
- 🥈 Olympics: Silver in 1992
Taiwan won the 2024 Premier12 by beating Japan 4-0 in the final, a first major world title for the Chinese Taipei team, and has hosted several World Baseball Classic and Premier12 rounds.
The Chinese Professional Baseball League broke 10,000 fans per game for the first time in its 36-year history in 2025, an average of 10,373, up 35 percent from 7,684. No Taiwanese player was on an MLB Opening Day roster that year.
#10 Canada
- 👥 MLB 2025: 13 Opening Day players, more than Japan or Mexico
- 🏟️ MLB club: Toronto Blue Jays
- 👥 Share: 13 of the 265 foreign-born players
Canada had 13 players on 2025 MLB Opening Day rosters and inactive lists, more than Japan (12) and Mexico (11). It is home to one MLB franchise, the Toronto Blue Jays.
Canada is not a major force in international tournaments, but its baseball players are among the most numerous of any country outside the Caribbean and Latin America in MLB.
Which Countries Are Best at Baseball?
Success in baseball is measured at the World Baseball Classic, the Olympic Games and the WBSC Premier12. This table lists each nation’s titles and medals in those events.
| Country | World Baseball Classic titles | Olympic medals (1992 to 2020) | Premier12 titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3 | 4 (1 gold) | 1 |
| United States | 1 | 4 (1 gold) | 0 |
| Cuba | 0 (runner-up 2006) | 5 (3 gold) | 0 |
| South Korea | 0 (runner-up 2009) | 3 (1 gold) | 1 |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 1 bronze | 0 |
| Venezuela | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Taiwan | 0 | 1 silver | 1 |
| Puerto Rico | 0 (runner-up 2013 and 2017) | 0 | 0 |
| Mexico | 0 | 0 | 0 (third in 2019) |
Other Countries Where Baseball Is Growing
These countries just missed the ranking but have an established baseball culture.
| Country | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Panama | Had four players on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2025. |
| Australia | Won the Olympic silver medal in 2004 and had two players on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2025. |
| Curaçao | Had four players on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2025, a high count for an island of its size. |
| Colombia | Had two players on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2025. |
More About Baseball
FAQ
Which country is baseball most popular in?
Baseball is most popular in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and in the Caribbean in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico, plus Venezuela.
Where was baseball invented?
Baseball evolved from older English bat-and-ball games in the 18th century. Its modern rules were set in the United States in the mid-1800s, with the Knickerbocker Rules written in 1845.
Which country has the most MLB players?
The United States, with roughly 690 of the 953 players on 2025 Opening Day rosters and inactive lists. The Dominican Republic led all other countries with 100, followed by Venezuela with 63 and Cuba with 26.
Which country has won the most World Baseball Classics?
Japan, with three titles (2006, 2009 and 2023). The United States, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have one each; Venezuela won the 2026 final 3-2 against the United States.
Which country has the most Olympic baseball medals?
Cuba, with five (three golds and two silvers) from the tournaments between 1992 and 2020. Japan and the United States have four each.
Is baseball an Olympic sport?
Baseball was an Olympic medal sport from 1992 to 2008 and again in 2020. It was not played in 2012, 2016 or 2024 and returns at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Which league has the highest baseball attendance outside the United States?
Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, with a record 27,040,286 fans in 2025, followed by South Korea’s KBO League with about 12.3 million.
