Netflix said it has acquired exclusive rights to stream the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Japan, its first live-sports offering in the country. Announced on 25 August, the agreement with World Baseball Classic Inc.—a venture of Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association—gives the streaming service sole Japanese distribution of all 47 tournament games. The sixth edition of the international tournament opens 5 March 2026 with pool play in Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami, and concludes with the championship game on 17 March in Miami. Netflix will carry every contest live and on demand for Japanese subscribers at no additional cost, replacing the mix of terrestrial television and Amazon Prime Video that held the rights in 2023. Team Japan enters as the defending champion. The deal deepens Netflix’s push into live sports and marks its first formal partnership with MLB. The company has recently added an NFL Christmas Day double-header and a long-term pact with WWE, and is considered a front-runner for future Home Run Derby rights. Financial terms of the World Baseball Classic contract were not disclosed.