| The history of baseball in Canada has | | | | six teams, was launched. Competition between |
| remained closely linked with that of the | | | | national teams, such as in the World Cup of |
| sport in the United States. As early as 1877, | | | | Baseball and the Olympic baseball tournament, |
| a professional league, the International | | | | has been administered by the International |
| Association, featured teams from both | | | | Baseball Federation since its formation in |
| countries. While baseball is widely played in | | | | 1938. As of 2004, the organization has 112 |
| Canada, and many minor league teams have been | | | | member countries. |
| based in the country, the American major | | | | |
| leagues did not include a Canadian club until | | | | Since the early 1970s, the annual Caribbean |
| 1969, when the Montreal Expos joined the | | | | Series has matched the league-winning clubs |
| National League as an expansion team. In | | | | from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, and the |
| 1977, the expansion Toronto Blue Jays joined | | | | Dominican Republic. The Confédération |
| the American League. The Blue Jays won the | | | | Européene de Baseball (European Baseball |
| World Series in 1992 and 1993, the first and | | | | Confederation), founded in 1953, organizes a |
| still the only club from outside the United | | | | number of competitions between clubs from |
| States to do so. In 2004, Major League | | | | different countries as well as national |
| Baseball relocated the Expos to Washington, | | | | squads. The inaugural World Baseball Classic, |
| D.C., where the team is now known as the | | | | held in March 2006, had a much higher profile |
| Nationals. | | | | than previous tournaments featuring national |
| | | | teams, owing to the participation for the |
| The first formal baseball league outside of | | | | first time of a significant number of players |
| the United States and Canada was founded in | | | | from Major League Baseball. |
| 1878 in Cuba, which maintains a rich baseball | | | | |
| tradition and whose national team has been | | | | The 117th meeting of the International |
| one of the world's strongest since | | | | Olympic Committee, held in Singapore in July |
| international play began in the late 1930s. | | | | 2005, voted not to hold baseball and softball |
| Professional baseball leagues began to form | | | | tournaments at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, |
| in other countries between the world wars, | | | | but they will remain Olympic sports during |
| including the Netherlands (formed in 1922), | | | | the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and will be put |
| Australia (1934), Japan (1936), and Puerto | | | | to vote again for each succeeding Summer |
| Rico (1938). After World War II, professional | | | | Olympics. The elimination of baseball and |
| leagues were founded in many Latin American | | | | softball from the 2012 Olympic program |
| nations, most prominently Venezuela (1945), | | | | enabled the IOC to consider adding two |
| Mexico (1945), and the Dominican Republic | | | | different sports to the program, but no other |
| (1951). In Asia, Korea (1982), Taiwan (1990), | | | | sport received a majority of votes favoring |
| and mainland China (2003) all have | | | | its inclusion. While baseball's lack of |
| professional leagues. | | | | substantial appeal in much of the world was a |
| | | | factor; more important is the unwillingness |
| Many European countries have pro leagues as | | | | of Major League Baseball to have a break |
| well, the most successful beside the Dutch | | | | during the Games so that its players can |
| being the Italian league founded in 1948. | | | | participate, something that the National |
| Compared to those in Asia and Latin America, | | | | Hockey League now does during the Winter |
| the various European leagues and the one in | | | | Olympic Games. Because of the seasonal nature |
| Australia historically have had no more than | | | | of baseball and the high priority its fans |
| niche appeal. Recently, the sport has begun | | | | place on the integrity of major-league |
| to grow in popularity in those nations, most | | | | statistics from one season to the next, it |
| notably in Australia, which won a surprise | | | | would be more difficult to accommodate such a |
| silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games. In | | | | break in MLB. |
| 2007, the Israel Baseball League, featuring | | | | |