As part of the celebration around the anniversary of the first-ever Little League® game played on June 6, 1939, Little League International has announced the first-round pairings for the 2023 Little League Softball® World Series tournaments.
Set to take place on August 6-13 in Greenville, North Carolina, the 2023 Little League Softball World Series (LLSWS) will once again feature 12 teams from around the world, divided into the Purple and Orange brackets, competing for the championship banner. Below are the first-round pairings for the 2023 LLSWS (all times ET and subject to change):
Sunday, August 6
- Game 1: Central Region vs. North Carolina (10 a.m.)
- Game 2: Latin America Region vs. Canada Region (1 p.m.)
- Game 3: Europe and Africa Region vs. New England Region (4 p.m.)
- Game 4: Southwest Region vs. Southeast Region (7 p.m.)
Monday, August 7
- Game 5: Winner G2 vs. Northwest Region (10 a.m.)
- Game 6: Winner G1 vs. Asia-Pacific Region (1 p.m.)
- Game 7: Winner G4 vs. West Region (4 p.m.)
- Game 8: Winner G3 vs. Mid-Atlantic Region (7 p.m.)
In addition to the fun and excitement of the 2023 LLSWS, participants at this year’s event will also have the unique opportunity to spend time with the top athletes of the game as part of the first ever AU Pro Games at the LLSWS, featuring an Athletes Unlimited doubleheader at East Carolina University on Wednesday, August 9.
Following the most-watched LLSWS in history last year, the #SummerOfSoftball will be celebrated once again in 2023 as the program continues to make history with this year’s LLSWS Championship game being aired on ABC for the first time this summer while the championship games from six Little League Softball U.S. Region Tournaments will be broadcast on ESPN, after four years of airing on ESPN+ (the Southwest Region Championship will continue to air on Longhorn Network). For more information on the 2023 LLSWS, including information on how to attend or watch from home, visit LittleLeague.org/LLSWS.
Home and away designations for all LLSWS games will be decided via coin flip during the respective manager briefings held prior to the start of the tournament. The drawings were held so that the regions who received a bye in the 2022 Little League Softball World Series would not receive a bye in 2023. For more information, along with full schedules and information about all the 2023 Little League Region and World Series tournaments, visit LittleLeague.org/WorldSeries.