One of the best-known European baseball events begins on Friday, as Haarlem Honkbal Week (HHW) returns to Pim Mulier Stadium with a loaded roster of teams. In addition to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, archrivals Italy and rising European baseball program Czech Republic will attend, along with representative teams of Taiwan and Curaçao, plus the long-standing all-star team, International Globetrotters.
First contested in 1961 and now in its 32nd edition, teams from the U.S. have the most first (14), second (8), and third place (12) finishes. The Netherlands is second in all three placements, though Cuba and Japan also have five gold medals. Curaçao has one second-place finish and Italy one bronze, while Taiwan has one of each.
The field started to take shape in January, when Curaçao—which competes both as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and by itself, primarily in competitions in the Americas—was announced. Curaçao produces the most Major League Baseball (MLB) players per capita in the world, a unique achievement given its small population, with stars such as Kenley Jansen, Ozzie Albies, Andrelton Simmons, Jonathan Schoop, and Andruw Jones, recently inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame.
The island territory is no stranger to the Baseball Week. In previous editions, as the release noted, “The Caribbean team left an indelible impression with its energetic baseball and abundance of talent.” In 2022, the team reached the final of the tournament, where it lost to its parent honkbalsters in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. For more on baseball on the Caribbean island, you can read our exclusive excerpt from Jason Daniels’ upcoming book https://www.mister-baseball.com/haarlem-honkbal-week-2026-preview/.
Next to be announced was Taiwan a few days later. The Asian nation will not have its professional players available, but at similar tournaments in the past, including recent Haarlem Week events, Taiwan has sent a high-quality amateur team. In the most recent edition, Taiwan’s 11th appearance at the biennial event, it finished fourth of six, fielding an exclusively Under-22 team.
Near the start of February, Italy confirmed its participation at HHW for what will be the eighth time, and should feature many of the top players in Serie A, along with Italian prospects.
“A true classic,” observed Tournament Director Peter Herkemij (translated from Dutch). “We once again warmly welcome Italy to the Pim Mulier Stadium and are already looking forward to the always tense encounter with our Kingdom Team.“
The Netherlands joined the list a few days later and apparently was not a certainty until this point, as Herkemij “quietly assumed it would happen,” but with no guarantee. The list of teams changed in notable fashion since mid-February, however with Japan and the Dominican Republic pulling out after initially being reported as the fifth and sixth teams.
Japan was first to withdraw from what would have been its 18th appearance. According to a translated release on March 28, “The defending champion has withdrawn from the tournament; they were unable to assemble a team to travel to Haarlem.”
However, Haarlem Honkbal Week—and European baseball more broadly—have achieved enough cache that the replacements are still beyond what most tournaments could manage. An enviable alternative was quickly found in Central Europe, with Baseball Czech entering the tournament for the first time ever.
“We are very pleased that the Czech team is participating in Baseball Week,” noted Herkemij (translated from Dutch). “Their recent performances and the way they approach the sport of baseball are a perfect fit for our event. I am therefore delighted to welcome the Czech Republicas as a debutant in Haarlem.”
Next to withdraw was the D.R. on May 11, with a lack of “necessary financial resources to travel to Haarlem.” Dominican baseball was replaced by the International Globetrotters, which consists of players active at a high level in the United States (NCAA Division I and II), supplemented by talent from Canada and Europe, and American players competing in European leagues. Similar teams, such as the legendary Grand Rapids Sullivans, have featured in previous editions of the Haarlem Honkbal Week.
The 32nd edition of the baseball week will run from June 26 to July 4. The teams will play a round robin and playoffs, with the full schedule below. There will also be a Fan Zone, with live music and and deejays, plus shops for baseball equipment and clothing, a souvenir stand, and tables for sponsors. There will be an outdoor area for children to play catch and an indoor area to play baseball video games. More information can be found at the official website [link].
Translations by Google.
