2 min readMar 18, 2026 04:40 PM IST
In a politically-charged finale of the World Baseball Classic, Venezuela defeated the United States of America on the Americans’ home turf of Miami to win their first-ever title. The victory comes two months after US armed forces captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
The game was played at Miami’s LoanDepot Park in front of a sold-out crowd of 36,190, reported The Guardian, before adding that the fans were “mostly pro-Venezuela spectators”. The American team fielded by the hosts has been called a “Dream Team” because it was loaded with Major League Baseball stars.
Even though these days US president Donald Trump is occupied with the war against Iran in the Middle East, he took some time out to goad the Venezuelans through a Truth Social post on Monday night before the final: “Good things are happening to Venezuela lately! I wonder what this magic is all about? STATEHOOD, #51, ANYONE?”
Trump repeated that joke after the South American team defeated the USA team 3-2 in the final on Tuesday night, posting on his social media account: “STATEHOOD!!! President DJT”.
“We’re here to speak baseball,” Venezuela outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr had said before the game when asked to comment on Trump’s comments.
The visiting team did just that, defeating the mighty Americans.
“My country needs that championship,” Acuña Jr later said after the triumph as he wiped tears from his eyes. “I just want to make my people proud. That’s what I did today.”
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The victory prompted wild celebrations back home, with flag-bearing supporters on vehicles coming out on the streets at the Plaza de la Juventud (Plaza of Youth) in the capital city of Caracas. Thousands sang the anthem punctuated by honking horns from cars and motorcycles.
Venezuela acting president Delcy Rodríguez declared Wednesday a National Day of Joy and made it a non-working holiday except for essential workers.
(With inputs from AP)
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