LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Great Britain Women’s Senior National Fastpitch Team Head Coach Tara Henry and the British Softball Federation have today announced the 16 players who will represent Great Britain at the 2026 WBSC Softball World Cup. Great Britain will face reigning word champions Japan, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Venezuela and host Peru in Group Lima from 14-18 July 2026, with two teams advancing to the 2027 WBSC Softball World Cup Final in Redcliffe, Australia. Six teams will qualify for the Finals, joined by two wild cards, with Canada, Chinese Taipei, and Australia (Wild Card) previously qualifying from Group Prague and Group Oklahoma City to follow in September.
This will be Great Britain’s fourth consecutive appearance in the World Cup and follows their 2023 Group Stage appearance in Ireland that saw them defeat Australia, then-world ranked number three Chinese Taipei, and the hosts in a five-inning perfect game during group play. Great Britain qualified for the Softball World Cup with a Bronze Medal at the 2025 European Championships, their third consecutive medal at the continental level.
Long-list athletes were selected in accordance with the British Softball Federation’s selection policy, which can be viewed here. The sixteen members of roster is as follows:
- Katie Burge (Twickenham, England)
- Jessica Chan (Manchester, England)
- Georgina Corrick (Basingstoke, England)
- Kailyn Haig (Dundee, Scotland)
- Amy Hartle (Nottingham, England)
- Laura Hirai (London, England)
- Jasmine Francik (Ross-on-Wye, England)
- Cara Edwards (Southampton, England)
- Jahni Kerr (Chingford, London, England)
- Mia Krueger (Marlow, England)
- Paytn Monticelli (Caerphilly, Wales)
- Kaitlyn Parisi (Manchester, England)
- Morgan Salmon (London, England)
- Alana Snow (Woking, England)
- Jenna Thompson (St. Helens, England)
- Tia Warsop (Northampton, England)
Great Britain has also named an alternate:
- Elena Clark-Wilson (Aberdeen, Scotland)
Great Britain will open Pool Play against Japan on 15 July British time (14 July in Lima) with first pitch scheduled for 00:00 BST/18:00 PST. All of Great Britain’s games can be streamed live on Gametime.Sport, the WBSC’s official streaming platform, with tournament packages starting at $19.99.
The coaching and support staff, led by Head Coach Tara Henry in her third year with the programme, is as follows:
- Head Coach – Tara Henry
- Assistant Coach – Stan Doney
- Hitting Coach – Nate Headley
- Pitching Coach - Pattie Ruth Taylor
- Assistant Pitching Coach – Lacey Holsworth
- Head of Delegation & Operations Manager – Chris Knoblock
- Female Athlete Lead – Katy Gould
- Athletic Trainer – Mercedes Cunningham
- Press & Media Attaché – Emily Robinson-Hardy
Head Coach Tara Henry said, “This competition is an exciting step on our road to the LA 28 Olympic Games and the opportunity to prove ourselves against some of the best competition in the world. After a successful and rigorous training camp, our athletes are ready to compete.”
Head of Performance Gary Anderson added, “The opportunity to compete in a world championship is always special, and even more so when an Olympic berth is at stake. As the programme continues on its upward trajectory, the competition will become better and better, but our athletes have proven over the past few years that they have what it takes to win. I am excited to watch them compete in Lima, and push for a spot in Oklahoma City at the LA 28 Olympic Games.
Follow the Great Britain Women’s Team on social media @GBWomenSoftball on X, Instagram, and TikTok, at facebook.com/GBWomenSoftball, and on the British Softball Federation website, britishsoftball.org.