Japan, the world number one ranked team, are joined in Group A by Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic and Mexico, however their encounter with the US is likely to be the most eagerly anticipated in the early stages of the 12-team tournament, due to be held from August 28 and September 6.

With a world ranking of three, Cuba will begin as favourites to top Group B having been placed alongside Chinese Taipei, Canada, Italy, South Africa and South Korea by the WBSC International Baseball Tournaments Commission.

The top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Round Robin and the top two ranked teams at the close of the phase will progress to the Under 18 World Championship final, with teams vying to succeed the US team as champions, while the Americans are aiming for their third straight title having won the previous two editions in 2012 in South Korea and 2013 in Taiwan.

Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) are adjusting the Hanshin Tigers' home schedule to enable to the final to be held in Japan’s legendary 47,000-capacity Koshien Stadium, which was built in 1924. 

Several of baseball’s biggest stars have previously competed at the Under-18 Baseball World Cup, including Canada’s Brett Lawrie, Japan’s Yu Darvish, South Korea’s Shin-soo Choo, Cuba’s Yasiel Puig and Americans Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Buster Posey.

WSBC President Riccardo Fraccari believes that the tournament will showcase the sport and its young players ahead of next year’s International Olympic Committee Session, where baseball and softball could be added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics sports programme.

“The baseball and softball world is hopeful that the young stars at the 2015 Under-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan, as well as other players around the world, will have the opportunity to represent their countries and our sport at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” Fraccari said.

“Baseball and softball have surpassed a number of historical benchmarks in recent years in terms of youth platforms, gender equality, globalisation, building national team brands and expanding the broadcast reach international competitions, which could potentially help serve the mission of the IOC and Olympic Movement.”

The last Under-18 Baseball World Cup in 2013 in Taichung, Chinese Taipei, where the US beat Japan in the final, had a potential reach of 144 million homes and an online and mobile reach of 20 million.

TWBSC are hoping to build on the success with teams from the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania all taking part in the 2015 edition of the tournament.

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November 2013: Taichung Under-18 Baseball World Cup watched by nearly 150 million claims report