One of three teams with a perfect record left in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Italy hopes to continue that run this afternoon in the semifinals.
Italy went 4-0 in the first round of the WBC, beating Brazil, Mexico, the United States and Great Britain to claim the top spot in Pool B. With 12 home runs, they’re two shy of a tournament record (currently held by Mexico).
They’ll face Puerto Rico this afternoon. Puerto Rico finished second in Pool A behind Canada, who handed them their only loss of the group stage. Three big wins against Colombia, Panama and Cuba helped them advance. Team Puerto Rico currently possesses the best pitching in the WBC with a collective 1.22 ERA across 37 innings.
2026 world baseball classic: what to know
- Who: Team Puerto Rico vs. Team Italy (quarterfinal)
- When: March 14, 3 p.m. ET
- Where: Daikin Park (Houston, Texas)
- Channel: FS1
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
Head to head, these teams have only met twice before in WBC; Puerto Rico won both matchups in 2013 and 2017.
The winner of tonight’s winner-take-all quarterfinal will advance to Monday’s semifinal against the winner of Japan vs. Venezuela.
Puerto Rico-Italy WBC 2026 start time
The World Baseball Classic quarterfinal between Puerto Rico and Italy is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET today, March 14.
How to watch Puerto Rico vs. Italy for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.
DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching baseball live for free — its five-day free trial includes FS1 (and FOX, where the rest of the WBC will air). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $59.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
Sling TV is another affordable way to stream live TV; its Select plan includes FS1 and FOX, and starts at $19.99/month.
Puerto Rico vs. Italy pitchers
Seth Lugo gets the start for Puerto Rico; Sam Aldegheri will be on the mound for Italy.
World Baseball Classic 2026 key dates
- QF 3: Puerto Rico vs. Italy – March 14, 3 p.m. ET (FS1)
- QF 4: Japan vs. Venezuela – March 14, 9 p.m. ET (FOX)
- SF 1: Dominican Republic vs. United States – March 15, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)
- SF 2: QF3 winner vs. QF4 winner – March 16, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)
- Championship – March 17, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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