WBC 2026: Team USA-Dominican Republic live updates, analysis - ESPN

The first World Baseball Classic semifinal is set — and it is the matchup many have been dreaming about from the start of the WBC: Team USA vs. the Dominican Republic.

After Team USA downed Canada and the D.R. mercy ruled Venezuela on Friday night, the top two teams in our WBC Power Rankings will square off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

Who has the edge in this star-studded showdown? And who are the X factors who will decide which team moves on to Tuesday's championship? ESPN baseball experts Jorge Castillo, Alden Gonzalez and Jeff Passan weigh in ahead of the semifinal — and be sure to come back to this page at first pitch for live analysis and highlights from Miami.

Castillo: Very. While the 2023 final between Team USA and Japan was incredible theater, these are the best teams in this tournament. Paul Skenes vs. Plátano Power. All-Stars at nearly every position. A raucous atmosphere in Miami. It doesn't get much better than that.

Passan: Excited is only the beginning. This is a dream matchup. It is a Dominican lineup loaded with All-Stars and MVP candidates and future Hall of Famers against one of the two best pitchers in the world. The Dominicans are the unstoppable force. Skenes is the immovable object. Sunday night's game will play out in real time what happens when the two meet. It's trite to say this is the real final, but with reigning champion Japan out of the tournament after losing to Venezuela on Saturday night, this is unquestionably the marquee matchup of the WBC. You don't need to love baseball to love U.S. vs. D.R.

Gonzalez: I'll try to put Jeff's words in statistical perspective: The two projected starting lineups in this game will feature a combined 52 All-Star Games, 32 Silver Sluggers, 11 Gold Gloves and five