The qualifiers – Cubs and Cardinals will be played in London in 2023

Last Thursday (04), MLB thrilled baseball fans across the Atlantic and announced two games in London, UK. The Central Division of the National League rivals the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals, will be the protagonists of the dispute.

Set to take place on 24 and 25 June 2023, the two series of matches will take place at the London Stadium, a stadium built for the Olympics that took place on British soil in 2012 and home to West Ham United, one of London’s most famous football clubs.

The matches between Cubs and Cardinals, originally scheduled for 2020, have been postponed by two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, MLB was in England for the first time for regular season matches. On that occasion, the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox in both appointments, namely in the English capital.

“The Cardinals are excited and honored to be part of the London Series next year,” said franchisee Bill DeWitt Jr. “The rivalry between the Cardinals and the Cubs is one of the biggest in the sport and it would be great to bring this experience to a new audience in Europe.”

While this is both teams’ first time in Queensland, St. Lewis and Chicago have already worn the uniform outside the United States. In 2000, the Cubs opened the season in Tokyo against the New York Mets, as well as facing the Montreal Show (now Washington Nationals) in a three-game series in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Cardinals faced the Cincinnati Reds twice in 2019.

“The MLB London Series between the Cubs and Cardinals has been a business for years and we’re thrilled to finally be able to bring one of baseball’s greatest rivalries to fans overseas,” said Tom Ricketts, principal owner of Cubs.

The London series is part of the international plan between Major League Baseball and the Athletes’ Association, which was signed along with a new business agreement in March, and aims to increase the league’s reach and franchises around the world. In addition to 2023, the Games are expected to take place in London in 2024 and 2026; As well as the first match in France in 2025; Annual Games in Mexico City between 2023 and 2026; A season opening in some Asian countries in 2024 and another opening day in Tokyo to be set in 2025.

Photo: Twitter clone / Chicago Cubs