The World Baseball Softball Confederation has confirmed the schedule for the 2017 WBSC Men’s Softball World Championship, which will be held in Whitehorse, Canada, from 7-16 July.
The 15th edition of the men’s flagship softball event will showcase more than 75 games — 56 games taking place in the round robin over the first seven days, followed by three days of playoff action.
Nations will be divided into two pools to compete in a challenging round-robin, with the top four finishers from each pool advancing to the double page playoff round. The remaining teams will compete in the placement round.
The Aussie Steelers are in Pool A, with their toughest competition expected to come from reigning 2015 world champions Canada, Argentina, Dominican Republic and USA.
Pool A: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, and USA
Pool B: Botswana, Czech Republic, Denmark, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Turkey, and Venezuela
The Aussie Steelers begin their world championship campaign on 7 July against India, who will be making their first appearance at a men’s world championship.
The Aussie Steelers round robin schedule is as follows:
| Date | Time | Opponent | AEST time/date |
| 7 July | 1.00pm | India | 6.00am, 8 July |
| 8 July | 4.30pm | USA | 9.30am, 9 July |
| 9 July | 3.00pm | South Africa | 8.00am, 10 July |
| 10 July | 7.00pm | Dominican Republic | 12.00pm, 11 July |
| 11 July | 7.00pm | Canada | 12.00pm, 12 July |
| 12 July | 5.30pm | Argentina | 10.30am, 13 July |
| 13 July | 12.30pm | Hong Kong | 5.30am, 14 July |
Playoffs begin on 14 July, with the gold medal game being played at 4.00pm on 16 July (9.00am, 17 July AEST).
Click here to view the full tournament schedule.
All world championship games will be live streamed, keep an eye on the 2017 Men’s World Softball Championship website for further details.
The Aussie Steelers depart for Canada on 24 June, spending the majority of their lead-up time in Milverton, Ontario. The team will play 14 games prior to the world championship, including games against Venezuela and Dominican Republic.
Aussie Steelers lead-up schedule:
| Date | Time | Opponent | Venue | AEST time/date |
| 26 June | 7.00pm | Brussels Tigers | 648 Sports Drive, Brussels | 9.00am, 27 June |
| 9.00pm | Brussels Tigers | 11.00am, 27 June | ||
| 27 June | 7.30pm | Elmira Expos | Arand Field, Milverton | 9.30am, 28 June |
| 28 June | 7.00pm | Niagara League All Stars | MF KER Park, Niagara Falls | 9.00am, 29 June |
| 9.00pm | Niagara League All Stars | 11.00am, 29 June | ||
| 29 June | 7.00pm | Shakespeare Falcons | Arand Field, Milverton | 9.00am, 30 June |
| 9.00pm | Huron County All-Stars | 11.00am, 30 June | ||
| 1 July | 3.00pm | Venezuela | Arand Field, Milverton | 5.00am, 2 July |
| 5.00pm | Dominican Republic | 7.00am, 2 July | ||
| 2 July | 3.00pm | Dominican Republic | Arand Field, Milverton | 5.00am, 3 July |
| 5.00pm | Venezuela | 7.00am, 3 July | ||
| 3 July | 7.00pm | St Paul’s Generals | Arand Field, Milverton | 9.00am, 4 July |
| 9.00pm | Nith River Monsters | 11.00am, 4 July | ||
| 4 July | 7.30pm | Kitchener All-Stars | Arand Field, Milverton | 9.30am, 5 July |
The Aussie Steelers will also conduct a coaching clinic for junior players on 30 June at Perth East Recreation Complex in Milverton.
The Aussie Steelers team for the world championship was finalised last month: https://www.softball.org.au/aussie-steelers-team-officials-named-player-added/
