MLB Cancels San Juan and Mexico City Games for 2025

Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced the cancellation of its plans to play regular-season games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City next year. This decision was revealed by Commissioner Rob Manfred during the recent owners' meetings.

Focus on Tokyo
Despite the cancellations, the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers are still set to open the 2025 season with two games in Tokyo. These will be the only international games on the MLB schedule for next year.

Economic Challenges
"We're not going to San Juan," Manfred stated, according to the Associated Press. "We did not have, despite a lot of efforts, an arrangement that made economic sense for us. We'd like to do San Juan, and what's available kind of changes year to year, and I hope it all works out in the future." Manfred also mentioned that MLB plans to return to Mexico City during the term of the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which expires after the 2026 season.

Collective Bargaining Agreement and Future Plans
The CBA had initially called for an opening series in Tokyo, a May series in Mexico City, a June series in Paris, and a September series in San Juan for the current season. However, the Paris games were canceled last November due to the inability to find a promoter. Essentially, MLB has determined that it would not be financially viable to proceed with these games, leading to their cancellation.

Previous and Future International Games
Earlier this year, the Dodgers and San Diego Padres made history by playing MLB's first regular-season games in South Korea. The Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros played two games in Mexico City in April, and the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies faced off in London in June. MLB has also held games in Mexico City in 2023 and in London in 2019 and 2022. From 2001 to 2018, the league played 49 games in San Juan.

​Looking ahead to 2026, the CBA includes plans for games in Mexico City in May, London in June, and San Juan in September. Additionally, 2026 will be a World Baseball Classic year, featuring a 20-team international tournament.