For the first time since 2018 -- when Japan lifted its remarkable sixth consecutive trophy -- the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup returns. After the 2020 event in Tijuana was first postponed and then canceled due to the pandemic, 12 countries including the USA will begin their chase for the title of the world's best. 

There are a few changes to this year's tournament, which begins in Thunder Bay, Ontario, on Tuesday, including a new two-stage format that splits the group stages and finals across two years. Let's break down all the information down below.

What is the Women's Baseball World Cup?

Held by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), the Women's Baseball World Cup is the premier international women's baseball tournament. This will be the ninth edition of the competition that saw the United States win the first two championships before Japan took over, winning the previous six tournaments.

This year, 12 teams are playing across two groups. Group A is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, beginning on Tuesday and running through Aug. 13, while Group B will take place in Miyoshi City, Japan, from Sept. 13-19.

Each group consists of a single round robin, with the top two teams booking their trip to next year's finals. In addition, two more Wild Cards will also be awarded spots. However, because Canada is hosting the 2024 finals, they automatically receive a bid to the tournament. If Canada finishes in the top-three positions in Group A, then both third-place teams from Groups A and B will advance to the finals.

However, if Canada finishes lower than third place, they will win one of the Wild Cards. The other Wild Card will then be awarded to the best third-place finisher using the final standings at the 2018 World Cup. If, for instance, those are two teams that didn't play in the 2018 tournament -- i.e. Mexico and France -- then the World Ranking as of Dec. 31, 2023 would be the final tiebreaker. 

Pitchers have 20 seconds to begin their motion and every game will be seven innings.

You can read more about the rules and procedures here.

Who is playing in Thunder Bay?

Canada, No. 3 WBSC world ranking: After finishing with a bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup and in second place in 2016, Team Canada will hope that this is their year to finally win the whole thing. Three veterans return from the bronze-medal winning team -- Kaitlyn Ross, Madison Willan and Allison Schroder, who fights wildfires in her day job. 

As hosts, they'll be looking to assert their dominance in preparation of the 2024 finals -- also held in Thunder Bay -- even though they are automatically qualified as tournament hosts.

United States, No. 4: The first competitive tournament for Team USA since capturing gold at the 2019 Pan-American Games behind team MVP Alex Hugo, who hit .652/.742/1.391 with four home runs. Canada defeated Team USA for the bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup, so there will be plenty on the line when the two neighboring countries face off on Aug. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

The two countries also met for a friendly series in 2022, with USA winning 3 games to 2.

Australia, No. 8: Shae Lillywhite is once again back for Team Australia. This is the ninth Women's Baseball World Cup and Lillywhite has played in all of them. Australia has medaled twice previously, finishing second in 2010 and third in 2014. Keep an eye on Genevieve Beacom, too: The first woman to play professionally in Australia, Beacom has an 85 mph fastball and triple-digit exit velocity at the plate.

Korea, No. 10: Korea qualified for the World Cup by finishing third in the 2023 Asian Games, defeating Hong Kong -- also in Group A -- 14-4 in the finals. Korea has yet to medal at the World Cup, finishing 9th in 2018. 

Hong Kong, No. 11: It may be an uphill battle for Hong Kong in the tournament. Though they finished fourth in the 2023 Asian Games to qualify for the group stage, they lost two games to Korea during the tournament by scores of 18-2 and 14-4. Look out for Vanessa Mui in the lineup, though: She was 6-for-12 with two doubles and a home run during the Asian Games. Hong Kong finished 10th in the 2018 World Cup. 

Mexico, No. 12: While Mexico is playing in its first-ever World Cup, don't underestimate them: When the women's national team debuted in the Pan-Am Championships in 2019, pitchers Rosi del Castillo and Veronica Romo combined to pitch a no-hitter.

How to watch:

You'll need to make sure you're in the right stadium if you're in Thunder Bay for the games. The first two days (Aug. 8-9) will be played at Baseball Central, while the rest of the tournament will be held at Port Arthur Stadium. 

Streams of the games are available with a subscription to GameTime. Game highlights will be available on MLB.com.