Cuban Little League to Make History With First-Ever World Series Appearance

Cuban Little League Baseball is making history with its first appearance in the Little League Baseball World Series this year in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The team from Bayamo, Cuba qualified for direct entry after winning the Cuban tournament. The effort was made possible by the expansion of the Little League Baseball World Series announced in 2019.

Previously, Cuba participated in the series in 2019 but lost in the semifinals. The country could not participate in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic. After rejoining the Caribbean Region tournament in 2022, the Cuban team again lost in the semifinals.

This year, however, the excitement about the team making it to Williamsport is palpable across the region.

“Since establishing our partnership with the Cuban Baseball Federation four years ago, we have continued to find ways to provide memorable experiences to children in 180 municipal communities all across the country, and we applaud Bayamo Little League on becoming Cuba’s first national champion with direct entry to the World Series,” said Stephen D. Keener, president and CEO of Little League Baseball, in a statement back in March. “We look forward to working with U.S. government authorities, our league volunteers, and Cuban officials to help bring the team to Williamsport and to be able to experience the memories, excitement, and joy that the World Series provides to children from all over the world each summer.”

Little League Dreams, a new documentary by Havana-based media organization Belly of the Beast showcases the young players and their individual journeys, providing much-needed context for the excitement and meaning that is little understood in the United States. The commitment and perseverance of the Cuban players are representative of the daily struggles of the Cuban people themselves—hence, the significance for Cubans all over the world is about more than representation.