MAY 03, 2021

The Hoover Metropolitan Complex will be the official softball venue of The World Games 2022, which will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, from 7-17 July 2022.

The Hoover Metropolitan Complex will be home to the softball competition for The World Games 2022, which will also serve as WBSC’s top-recognised women’s international softball competition of the year.

“The World Games 2022 will be the first major international sporting event on American soil with full venues again, and one of the most anticipated competitions on our program will be the softball games at the Hoover Met,” said Nick Sellers, CEO of The World Games.

“We’re excited to crown both a gold medal winner for The Games as well as a world softball champion in this incredible park.”

Opened in 1988, The Hoover Met can accommodate up to 16,000 fans. The stadium currently serves as the host of Southeastern Conference’s annual baseball tournament and is the permanent home of Hoover High School football.

Women’s softball will be part of the official programme for the third time in World Games history. USA claimed the gold medal at the first two editions of the Games, at Santa Clara 1981 and London 1985. Softball was played at The World Games in Cali 2013 as an invitational sport, where Cuba earned the gold medal.

World No. 1 USA (host), No. 2 Japan, No. 3 Canada, No. 5 Mexico, No. 6 Chinese Taipei, No. 7 China, No. 8 Australia, and the winner of the European Championship 2021 will participate in the eight-team competition.