Little League World Series 2024: Bracket Schedule, TV Info, Round 1 Predictions
The 2024 Little League World Series is set to kick off on Wednesday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and will feature some of the best youth baseball players from around the world.
With regional qualifying tournaments complete, the field has been narrowed to 20 teams. The upcoming double-elimination tournament features 10 teams from the United States and another 10 international teams who will all vie for a spot in the championship game.
There will be plenty of storylines to track in the coming days, including an entirely new field of U.S. teams.
Below, you'll find a look at scheduling, location and broadcast information for the tournament's opening round, along with a few predictions.
Important Dates and TV Information
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Dates: August 14-25
Location: Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Stadiums: Howard J. Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium
TV: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN+
Key Dates
August 14: Round 1 Begins
August 18: MLB Little League Classic (New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers)
August 24: Bracket Finals
August 25: Championship Game
Round 1 Schedule and Predictions
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Wednesday, August 14 (Games 1-4)
Caribbean Region (Santa Cruz, Aruba) vs. Mexico Region (Matamoros, Tamaulipas)
Details: 1 p.m. ET at Volunteer (ESPN)
Prediction: Mexico Region
New England Region (Salem, New Hampshire) vs. West Region (Wailuku, Hawai'i
Details: 3 p.m. ET at Lamade (ESPN)
Prediction: West Region
Asia-Pacific Region (Taoyuan, Taiwan) vs. Canada Region (Surrey, British Columbia)
Details: 5 p.m. ET at Volunteer (ESPN)
Prediction: Asia-Pacific Region
Southeast Region (Lake Mary, Florida) vs. Midwest Region (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
Details: 7 p.m. ET at Lamade (ESPN)
Prediction: Southeast Region
Thursday, August 15 (Games 5-8)
Japan Region (Toyko) vs. Puerto Rico Region (Guayama, Puerto Rico)
Details: 1 p.m. ET at Volunteer (ESPN)
Prediction: Japan Region
Metro Region (Staten Island, New York) vs. Mountain Region (Henderson, Nevada)
Details: 3 p.m. ET at Lamade (ESPN)
Prediction: Mountain Region
Cuba Region (Santa Clara, Villa Clara) vs. Europe and Africa Region (Brno, Czech Republic)
Details: 5 p.m. ET at Volunteer (ESPN)
Prediction: Cuba Region
Southwest Region (Boerne, Texas) vs. Mid-Atlantic Region (Newtown, Pennsylvania)
Details: 7 p.m. ET at Lamade (ESPN)
Prediction: Southwest Region
Friday, August 16
Latin America Region (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) vs. Game 1 Winner*
Details: 1 p.m. ET at Volunteer (ESPN)
Great Lakes Region (Hinsdale, Illinois) vs. Game 2 Winner*
Details: 3 p.m. ET at Lamade (ESPN)
Australia Region (Sydney, New South Wales) vs. Game 3 Winner*
Details: 5 p.m. ET at Volunteer (ESPN)
Northwest Region (Puyallup, Washington) vs. Game 4 Winner*
Details: 7 p.m. ET at Lamade (ESPN)
*No prediction due to TBD matchup
Preview
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When the 2022 Little League World Series included a jump from 16 to 20 teams, it also implemented byes randomly assigned to four teams. From the Little League World Series official website:
"Playing just one game at any of our World Series tournaments would not provide enough of the once-in-a-lifetime experience Little League players and their families deserve. With the expansion, some baseball teams will be randomly assigned a "bye" game, to fit into a modified double-elimination schedule."
This is why matchups for the final day of the opening round have not been set. This year, teams from Venezuela (Cardenales Little League), Illinois (Hinsdale Little League), New South Wales (Hills Little League) and Washington (South Hill Little League) were assigned byes. They will play the winners of Day 1 games to finish off the opening round.
We won't see a repeat champion in 2024, as El Segundo Little League (California) did not advance to the regional tournament. Instead, we'll see a team from Hawai'i back in the mix. Honolulu Little League won the 2022 tournament, but Hawai'i will be represented by Central East Maui Little League this year.
In fact, no teams from last year's U.S. bracket will appear in this year's competition. However, the international bracket will feature a few returning teams.
The Asia-Pacific and Middle East region will again be represented by Kuei-Shan Little League, which advanced to the international final last year. Hills Little League will again represent Australia, while South Czech Republic Little League will again represent Europe and Africa.
We won't see a repeat champion in the international bracket, though, as Pabao Little League of Curaçao did not advance. Pabao Little League appeared in the championship game in each of the past two tournaments.
A team from the United States has won every tournament since Tokyo Kitasuna Little League won it in 2017.
While the Round 1 matchups are important, losing an opening game won't end a team's bid for a championship. Winning it all out of the lower bracket is difficult, but it has happened.
In 2019, Eastbank Little League of Louisiana lost its opening game against East Maui Little League but went on to win the U.S. bracket and then defeat Pabao Little League in the championship game.
For the remaining 20 teams, the quest to become this year's champion will begin on Wednesday.
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