On Saturday, January 3, the fight for the title of the 2026 National Youth Baseball 'Caja de Ahorros Cup' championship will begin, organized by the Panamanian federation of this sport (Fedebeis). From the first round, all teams will be in action, although the official opening match will be between Coclé, the current champion in this category, and Colón at the Remón Cantera Stadium in Aguadulce starting at 7:00 PM. Previously, at 5:00 PM, there will be an opening ceremony, in which the guest artist will be the popular Panamanian typical music artist Darío Pitti. The other matches will start at 7:30 PM: Darién vs. Panamá Este in Chepo; Panamá Metro vs. Panamá Oeste at the Mariano Rivera; Chiriquí Occidente vs. Bocas del Toro at the Calvin Byron; Chiriquí vs. Veraguas at the Omar Torrijos; and Herrera vs. Los Santos at the Roberto 'Flaco Bala' Hernández. For this season, ticket prices will be $4.00; for children aged 6 to 11 and seniors, the cost will be $2.00, and children up to 5 years old enter free. One of the expectations for this tournament will be whether Coclé can reclaim its title for a third consecutive year and join a select group of provinces that have achieved it, such as Panamá Metro, Los Santos, and Chiriquí. While it is true that the Coclé team is considered the favorite, their advantage is not wide, as there are other teams that could threaten the reign of the 'red wood'. The national championship will have a regular season of 'all against all' among the 12 participating teams in two rounds (each team will play 22 games). The eight best records will advance to the next stage, which will consist of best-of-seven series (the first to win four advances to the semifinals). The winner of key 2 vs. 7 will play against the winner of the duel 3 vs. 6. The winning teams of the semifinals will dispute the national title in a best-of-seven games series. It should be noted that each team must have four players between 19 and 20 years old in their rosters: two pitchers and two infielders. Similarly, for the quarterfinals and semifinals, each team will be entitled to one reinforcement from the eliminated teams. In this phase, the first team will face the eighth; the second vs. the seventh, the third vs. the sixth; and the fourth vs. the fifth. The winners of these keys will advance to the semifinal series, which are also scheduled for seven games. In this stage, the winner of the 1 vs. 8 key will face the winner of the 4 vs. 5 duel.
