Rob Manfred Considers Replacing All-Star Game With World Baseball Classic After Massive Success

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic was a gigantic, runaway success. And Major League Baseball is hoping to take advantage of it. 

Attendance skyrocketed. Ratings were way up. Investment and buy in from most players, and particularly the fans, was remarkable. To the point where some players, including Team USA captain Aaron Judge, said that the atmosphere in the stadium surpassed that of a World Series game. Ticket prices for the final between Venezuela and the US were insanely high, with get-in seats costing hundreds of dollars. For a preseason tournament conducted during spring training. 

RELATED: Tarik Skubal Ripped For His Antics During WBC, And Rightfully So

With the runaway success of the WBC, and the increasing value placed on winning it by many involved, there's already been discussion about how best to make it even bigger and more important. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred in a new interview says there have already been discussions about it, with one idea being to essentially replace the All-Star Game. 

Learn More About The Ultimate College Hoops Experience

Venezuela right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (21) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against Japan in the first inning during a quarterfinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park in Miami on March 14, 2026. Photo: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

World Baseball Classic Could Get Even Bigger 

Manfred spoke to The Associated Press after the conclusion of the tournament, saying that there have been discussions about a midseason timeframe for future iterations.

"Obviously we have commitments to Fox in terms of the All-Star Game in the middle of the season through '28," Manfred said. "As the game continues to evolve, we have talked about midseason tournaments in general. And certainly if we decided to get serious about this, about a midseason tournament, this would be an ideal opportunity."

Attendance for the 2026 tournament surpassed 1.6 million, a nearly 25% increase from the 2023 tournament. And television ratings for the game between Team USA and the Dominican Republic nearly reached the level of an NBA Finals game in 2025. 

"There's no resemblance to where we started in 2006," Manfred added. "This one, I feel like it went to a different level. We set an attendance record after the early play. By the time we got into the semis and the final it was all gravy."

There's also hope that the growth of the WBC will help enhance baseball's efforts to grow an international audience. Team Italy, despite mostly being made up of US-born players, did seem to grab some attention and interest from Italian viewers. Manfred said that's something they're hoping to build on moving forward.

"The WBC is kind of a springboard for the rest of our international efforts," he said. "It gives you kind of a cornerstone to work from in terms of making long-term business relationships with sponsors, broadcasters and whatnot."

It's not clear exactly how this would work, logistically. The next tournament would ostensibly be in 2029, and television partners would almost certainly love the idea of a two-week long tournament bringing in huge ratings as opposed to just the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. Perhaps most importantly, it would likely mean more players, particularly pitchers, would be willing to participate. And without the restrictions placed on them in a preseason format. 

In this tournament, for example, San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller wasn't used in the ninth inning of a tie game, because his team had asked manager Mark DeRosa not to use him unless the US had a lead. Tarik Skubal, who was heavily criticized for his decision not to pitch again after facing Great Britain, thought it more important to stay on his routine, preparation, and build up. Other top US pitchers like Garrett Crochet, Hunter Brown and Dylan Cease, were approached to play, but either didn't agree or weren't granted permission.

Clearly, the WBC has succeeded in building up real stakes and competition. Moving it to a better timeframe might mean reshuffling the regular season every few years, or maybe reducing the 162-game schedule in tournament seasons. But given what this edition meant, it might be worth it.