Little League draws first-round pairings for Baseball and Softball World Series Tournaments (2024)

South Williamsport, Pa.— Little League International has named the first-round pairings for this year's Baseball and Softball World Series Tournaments.

During a historic all-female baseball game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium, players and special pro guests pulled random envelopes out of a bucketto determine the first-round matchups for the Little League Baseball and Softball World Series.

This year’s drawings included some special guests, with Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball players Tori Vidales and Sam Fische leading the drawings for the Softball World Series.

The Baseball World Series drawing show was hosted by ESPN KidsCast's young journalist Pepper Persley and was held at the Maria Pepe Little League Baseball Legacy Series, the first all-female baseball game held at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.

A video featuring both drawings has been uploaded to the Little League YouTube page.

Little League Softball World Series schedule and first-round pairings

Set to take place on Aug. 4-11 at its home in Greenville, North Carolina, the 2024 Little League Softball World Series 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 2024 LLSWS (times are subject to change):

Sunday, Aug. 4

• Game 1: West Region vs. Mid-Atlantic Region (Purple Bracket— 10 a.m.)
• Game 2: Northwest Region vs. Southwest Region (Orange Bracket— 1 p.m.)
• Game 3: Latin America Region vs. Central Region (Orange Bracket— 4 p.m.)
• Game 4: Asia-Pacific Region vs. North Carolina (Host) Region (Purple Bracket— 7 p.m.)

Monday, Aug. 5

• Game 5: Canada Region vs. Winner G2 (Orange Bracket— 10 a.m.)
• Game 6: New England Region vs. Winner G1 (Purple Bracket— 1 p.m.)
• Game 7: Europe and Africa Region vs. Winner G4 (Purple Bracket— 4 p.m.)
• Game 8: Southeast Region vs. Winner G3 (Orange Bracket— 7 p.m.)

Along with the year-long honoring of girls within the Little League program as part of the Girls with Game 50 Celebration, the 2024 LLSWS also marks the 50th Anniversary of the Little League Softball World Series, which was first won in 1974 by an incredible group of girls from Wellswood Little League in Tampa, Florida.

This year’s event will also feature the return of the AU Pro Games at the LLSWS, Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, which will bring all 60 pro softball players to the home of the LLSWS for a day of interaction with the LLSWS participants on Aug. 6 before a doubleheader at East Carolina University’s softball stadium on Aug. 7. Additionally, this year’s historic LLSWS will feature its championship game being broadcasted on ABC for the second year in a row, furthering the commitment of ESPN and Little League to the growth of its softball program.

To learn more about the Little League Girls with Game 50 Celebration and the organization’s commitment to female inclusion, visit LittleLeague.org/GWG50. The Little League Softball World Series and #GWG50 Celebration are proudly supported by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Little League Baseball World Series schedule and first-round matchups

Scheduled to take place Aug. 14-25, the 2024 Little League Baseball World Series, Presented by T-Mobile, will feature 20 teams from around the globe set to compete through the U.S. and International brackets for a chance at the Championship Banner. Below are the first-round pairings for the 2024 LLBWS (times are subject to change):

Wednesday, Aug. 14

• Game 1: Caribbean Region vs. Mexico Region (1 p.m.— Volunteer)
• Game 2: New England Region vs. West Region (3 p.m.— Lamade)
• Game 3: Asia-Pacific Region vs. Canada Region (5 p.m.— Volunteer)
• Game 4: Southeast Region vs. Midwest Region (7 p.m.— Lamade)

Thursday, Aug. 15

• Game 5: Japan Region vs. Puerto Rico Region (1 p.m.— Volunteer)
• Game 6: Metro Region vs. Mountain Region (3 p.m.— Lamade)
• Game 7: Cuba Region vs. Europe and Africa Region (5 p.m.— Volunteer)
• Game 8: Southwest Region vs. Mid-Atlantic Region (7 p.m.— Lamade)

Friday, Aug. 16

• Game 9: Latin America Region vs. Winner G1 (1 p.m.— Volunteer)
• Game 10: Great Lakes Region vs. Winner G2 (3 p.m.— Lamade)
• Game 11: Australia Region vs. Winner G3 (5 p.m.— Volunteer)
• Game 12: Northwest Region vs. Winner G4 (7 p.m.— Lamade)

Home and away designations for the LLSWS and LLBWS 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 2023 Little League Softball World Series would not receive a bye in 2024. For the Little League Baseball World Series, similarly, the draw ensured that regions who competed in the first play-in games in 2023 would not be featured in those matchups for this year.

In addition to these first-round pairings, the official brackets for each of the U.S. Region Tournaments for these events have been released and are available on their respective tournament websites at LittleLeague.org/WorldSeries.