After last year’s Baseball United showcase event, there was a long wait for a follow-up event. Thankfully, the wait was worth it. The inaugural Arab Classic is in the books and I think we’ve got something here. It looks like we’ve got what will become the region’s premier recurring international baseball event. From an infrastructure perspective, Dubai now has a built-for-purpose baseball stadium to enjoy for years to come and to help build the next generation of Emirati ballplayers.
Before I share a few thoughts on the tournament that was, I just wanted to recap how the tournament was set up. There were two groups, with Group A consisting of Pakistan, the UAE, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and Group B comprising Palestine, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Nepal. I suspect that logistics prevented there being a fifth team in Group B but I’m not sure. It would have been nice to see a full ten team slate. The second and third place teams in each group would play the quarterfinal round with the group winners each getting byes to the semifinal round. In this edition, the UAE would defeat Saudi Arabia 9-1 and Sri Lanka would edge India 1-0 to set up the semis where Pakistan defeated upstart Sri Lanka 3-0 and the UAE bested Palestine 6-1. That set up a final between the host UAE and Pakistan which in truth were the two best teams over the balance of the tournament.
Looking back, my only gripe with the setup was the whole two hour limit. I would have preferred seven inning games in the group stage and normal nine inning games in the knockout rounds. Overall though, the tournament was fun to watch and well organized. Most importantly, it was much needed exposure for national teams that really needed the competitive fixtures to show what they can do and also for the purpose of attracting visibility for their respective national programs. The atmosphere was festive and the playing surface looked well maintained and of high quality. I thought the lighting was good for night games and the stadium appears to be built in such a way that additional seating could be added one day as the game gains in popularity across the region. The broadcast crew was engaging and knowledgeable, with Hall of Famer Barry Larkin in the booth and the camera work was solid, stronger than what I’ve seen in the European Championships or in the Central American games for example. Lastly, the in-stadium music choices were a plus for me.
As for the play on the field, there was a clear gulf in class between the stronger teams and the teams that are clearly just starting out their national programs. Pakistan has the most mature program of all the teams in this tournament, and it showed throughout on their run to the title. They may not quite be ready to reach the WBC or the soon to be Premier 16 yet, but they’re taking important steps forward to get there. The UAE looked generally strong, but they are an older team and will need an influx of younger talent to remain competitive years on. Palestine, like the UAE, had quite a few players of American stock, including some with pro experience. They won Group B going away really. The team that honestly surprised me quite a bit was Sri Lanka. This is a relatively new program, but bringing in Japanese coaches to help develop it paid dividends at this tournament, with a surprise berth in the semis where they gave Pakistan a very difficult game. Sri Lankan pitching was particularly strong. India (shoutout to the left-handed shortstop) and the KSA struggled a bit in this tournament, but the game is still relatively new there and they have the resources (especially people) that could lead to greater success in the future as the game builds firmer foundations there. Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan are also in their baseball infancy and will need some support to grow the game. The Arab Classic was a struggle for them, but this should not discourage their federations. With the right coaching, the right funding, the right training, they can make strides.
Iit is important to see this tournament become a fixture. A bi-annual cadence like with the baseball Euros should be sufficient. I would probably keep the current format but ensure both groups have the same number of teams next time, preferably five a group. I would also recommend spacing out the tournament a little more. Teams should ideally only be playing one game a day. As other countries in the region begin to build national programs and seek tournaments in which to gauge progress, it would be worthwhile having a qualifying round like the WBC does. Perhaps make it such that those teams that made the knockout stages of the previous Arab Classic are in automatically, but those that got grouped have to qualify back, and keep the spaces in the main tournament set at ten teams. This sort of setup would allow for countries like Iran, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman etc. that have not yet been involved at all in Baseball United to get that chance in the future. It could even involve Israel one day which does have WBC and Olympic experience as the region’s politics transform in the future. One day, the Arab Classic could be a qualifying event for tournaments like the Olympics, the WBC, and Premier 16 (as of the next edition). This tournament should also be recognized by the WBSC and its results be counted towards international rankings. It is already filling a massive void for baseball.
So what’s next? First, there will be the Baseball United Cup, which will be the debut for the league’s original four franchises. We can look forward to that come late February. This will build towards the inaugural Baseball United league season in October 2025. There will also be a fifth franchise added based in Riyadh, which is good because a gulf based league needs a Saudi based team. I wish them well with these coming endeavors. I see this whole Baseball United journey as an important historical inflection point for baseball in the Middle East and South Asia region. Baseball fans around the world should root for the success of this experiment.
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