News Release

City of Irvine
Public Information Office

1 Civic Center Plaza
Irvine, CA 92606
949-724-6253

06/14/2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Public Information Office
949-724-6077
pio@cityofirvine.org

Irvine Hosts XIII WBSC U-19 Women's Softball World Cup

On August 11-17, 2019, 16 junior National Teams, spanning all five Olympic continents, will battle for the title of World Champions at Bill Barber Memorial Park. The tournament will showcase 62 games during eight days of global competition.

The WBSC U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup has been staged every two years and features the best youth players in the world competing on their National Teams for softball’s Official World Championship in the respective category.

Along with the 320 athletes and 240 delegates, an estimated 1,000 spectators (per day) are expected to attend the games.

The participating nations are:

  • Africa (2): No. 28 South Africa and No. 43 Botswana.
  • Americas (5): No. 1 United States, No. 3 Canada, No. 4 Puerto Rico, No. 5 Mexico   and No. 14 Brazil.
  • Asia (3): No. 2 Japan, No. 6 Chinese Taipei and No. 8 China.
  • Europe (4): No. 9 Italy, No. 10 Netherlands (wild card), No. 15 Czech Republic and No. 22 Ireland.
  • Oceania (2): No. 7 Australia and No. 11 New Zealand.

“This will be one of the most important years in softball history, with two global events and three Olympic Qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Games,” said WBSC Softball Division Chairman Tommy Velazquez. “The next generation of Olympians will be playing in Irvine, this August.”

Host United States and Japan have dominated the event in the past, facing each other in the last 10 World Championship finals, for a total of 11 combined titles. United States has won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2015, for a record-setting six world championships. The USA will come to Irvine for an unprecedented three peat.

“This is a unique opportunity for local businesses to welcome athletes and softball fans from around the world with a special menu and/or discount on their services,” said Wendy Haase, Senior Director, Destination Irvine. “ If your business or restaurant is interested in welcoming the athletes, delegates, and spectators by offering a discount to enjoy entertainment, shopping or dining, during their visit, please contact Lorrie Ivie, USA Softball of Southern California, 951-233-7922 or asalorrie@aol.com.

For information on the tournament, including purchasing tickets, visit https://u19wswc.wbsc.org/en/2019.