It's a global event, my friends!

As opposed to the "World Series", which in reality is really the championship of the Major Leagues in the U.S., this is a representation of many countries across the globe, competing in a sport which apparently is more popular than some people let on. There's teams from Asia, Europe, Australia, North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

From the different Pools shown, it appears the toughest Pool is D, with Pools A and C close behind. I say this because Pool D has perennial powers Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Mexico (a relative newcomer to this status). Pool C has the U.S. and the Dominican Republic.... and Pool A has Cuba and Japan.

This will be the 4th edition of the classic, with the previous editions being in 2006, 2009, and 2013. Japan won the first two, and the Dominican Republic won the last one, with Puerto Rico as runner-up. Puerto Rico is coming off a recent victory in the annual Caribbean Series, so hopes are high for this team.

As in soccer, qualifying rounds are held with many more countries. To answer your question, @Master , it appears Great Britain participated in a qualifying round and was eliminated.

Baseball is not my favorite sport, but I love international competitions (Olympics, World Cup, etc.)....... and this one is fabulous. I had the opportunity to attend a game in person in the 2013 edition, when one of the opening rounds was held in San Juan..... and saw a game between Puerto Rico and Venezuela. In a previous WBC, I had also seen the Netherlands play.