Eugenio Suarez claimed “nobody believed in Venezuela” after hitting a tiebreaking double in the ninth innings of the 2026 World Baseball Classic final to help his country become champions for the first time on an emotionally charged night in Miami.
The majority of the crowd of more than 36,000 noisily backed Venezuela, who established a 2-0 lead over star-studded opponents and overcame Bryce Harper’s two-run homer in the eighth to make history.
“We are family here,” Suarez told FOX in the immediate aftermath of the underdog victory. “That’s why we play with passion, with love – because we feel that jersey, we feel our country in front of us.
“That’s why this is a lot for us as players, as people, as human beings and as Venezuelans. Now we are the champions.
“Nobody believed in Venezuela, but now we’ve won the championship. It’s a celebration for all the Venezuelan country.”
Why does the World Baseball Classic mean so much?
Team USA, the Dominican Republic and dethroned champions Japan had been considered considerably more likely to win the title than Venezuela, who reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2009 by beating the holders in the quarter-finals.
Maikel Garcia was named tournament Most Valuable Player and led the field with 10 hits for the side captained by veteran Salvador Perez.
“I’ve never seen any team celebrate and enjoy a victory more than Venezuela did,” observed ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian.
The party is on for Team Venezuela! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/LeqLb8zhK7
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 18, 2026
“It means everything to them. That’s what the World Baseball Classic is all about: pride in the country. The energy and emotion we saw in the WBC was absolutely breathtaking.
“In a private moment, players from Venezuela will tell you this is even bigger than winning the World Series for them in the United States.”
WBC 2026: Bryce Harper on Team USA’s ‘great chance’
Team USA’s roster was regarded as the best at the tournament, with breakout star Roman Anthony and Logan Webb among the players to receive All-Tournament honors as part of a team featuring reigning Cy Young winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.
“I love the atmosphere and I love the chance,” Harper said of his starring role in the decider. “Grateful for it.
“We tied it up right there, and we had a great chance to win that game. I just tried to enjoy the moment, the atmosphere, everything. It was very loud in there tonight.”
World Baseball Classic ‘joy’
The tournament lasted 13 days, with a pool stage held in Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami and the ensuing matches held entirely in the US.
Kurkjian said fans had been “having the best time ever”. “That’s kind of the idea here,” he added. “We’re supposed to be enjoying the game and there was no more joy than we saw in this World Baseball Classic.
“It was everywhere. Every game you went to was just stunningly good as far as the energy and the emotion.”
Path to the 2026 WBC final: Full Venezuela, Team USA results
Here’s how the finalists fared at the tournament.
| Date | Stage | Result |
| March 6 | Pool | Venezuela 6-2 Netherlands |
| March 6 | Pool | USA 15-5 Brazil |
| March 7 | Pool | Venezuela 11-3 Israel |
| March 7 | Pool | USA 9-1 Great Britain |
| March 9 | Pool | Venezuela 4-0 Nicaragua |
| March 9 | Pool | USA 5-3 Mexico |
| March 10 | Pool | USA 8-6 Italy |
| March 11 | Pool | Venezuela 7-5 Dominican Republic |
| March 13 | Quarterfinal | USA 5-4 Canada |
| March 14 | Quarterfinal | Venezuela 8-5 Japan |
| March 15 | Semifinal | USA 2-1 Dominican Republic |
| March 16 | Semifinal | Venezuela 4-2 Italy |
| March 17 | Final | Venezuela 3-2 USA |
