If there’s an must-hear voice in the world to talk about baseball 5, it’s the Cuban Briandy Molina, champion, captain and MVP of the two World Championships held in this young discipline.

CubaSí approached him in the framework of the II International Fair of Cuban Sports, and there he warned about the complexities that come when facing a much more competitive scenario.

“It was to be expected, already in the last World Cup for seniors the change was deep. We saw teams that were much more developed in many aspects, with emphasis on the technical-tactical side, and with the passage of time the rivals will be tougher, and our preparation will have to be better.”

Briandy has been giving lectures as an ambassador for the International Baseball Softball Federation (WSBC) for a few years, and his modest contribution has also served to improve the international context, which in a certain way satisfies him.

2025 will not be a very demanding year for the elite category, but they will also have their share.

“This year the youth category will be strengthened, because the World Cup It’s is coming up, and they will have the National Championship first and then a qualifier for the World Cup scheduled for October. Only two girls are repeating, it will be a completely young team, although this experience is important.

“There’s already a vision of the young athletes, as a semi-pre-selection of the last tournament, but in March it will be evaluated if they maintain a good level and hire some other talent that can be incorporated. Before the World Cup we will concentrate them to put together the team work, together with the national team pre-selection, which is at the ESFAAR Giraldo Córdoba Cardín all the time.”

How do you see the work at the national level?

“Currently all provinces have a presence in baseball 5, whether in one category or another. The official inclusion in the school program and in at EIDE rosters in each territory will undoubtedly strengthen this sport.”

So what do the world champions have for this year?

“The seniors will be at the National and Caribbean Cup that Varadero will host in June, where we expect the presence of teams not only from the Caribbean, but from other continents.

“We are invited to a European Open, but the date is not fixed yet, and at the end of the year we will face the qualifier for the 2026 World Cup for seniors, that will be our main competition of the year.”

As the exceptional player anticipates, the development of this modality, especially after knowing that it will be Olympic, will increase the interest of Federations and practitioners around the world, so efforts will have to be intensified so that Cuba maintains its supremacy.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff