World Baseball Classic fans hyped up as USA/Mexico grudge match sells out: "I can’t wait for this game" "Definitely gonna be watching" 

While the USA and Mexico often pack in the crowds for international soccer games, Sunday's World Baseball Classic contest between the two countries is now also a sellout.

The game, featuring defending WBC champion Team USA against a competitive squad from Team Mexico, sold out all of the seats at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Phoenix. The stadium officially seats 48,519 for baseball.

It will be the second game of Pool C for both teams, and will take place at 7 p.m. local time in Arizona on Sunday. The USA first gets a tune-up against WBC debutants Team Great Britain on Saturday. Mexico's first WBC game is earlier that day against Columbia. It promises to be a great baseball weekend in Phoenix.

The 2023 World Baseball Classic was delayed for two years from 2021 due to the worldwide pandemic. The delay certainly does not hurt the anticipation for the grudge match between the two neighboring countries. Both the USA and Mexico also feature a number of MLB players. All Team USA players are all major-leaguers, which promises a high-quality contest.

Battle lines are already being drawn between the nations in regards to which team they will be rooting for on Sunday night. Mexican fans famously attend international games well "north of the border" and a large number of fans in Chase Field will undoubtedly be wearing red, white and green.

The USA is an overwhelming favorite to win Pool C at -360, according to Fanuel Sportsbook. Mexico gets the second-best odds in the pool at +350. No other team in the pool has better than +2400 odds.

The World Baseball Classic was created in 2006 after the International Olympic Committee removed baseball from the Summer Games. Since the original tournament was played in 2007, the WBC has developed into a tournament meant to be played once every four years, although COVID-19 interfered with that schedule.

World Baseball Classic

Luis Alfonso Cruz #47 center, of Mexico celebrates after winning with teammate Alex Verdugo #27

Regardless of the outcome against Mexico, the USA continues pool play against Team Canada on March 13 and Team Columbia on March 15. Both games are slated to start at 7 p.m. local time in Phoenix.

Regarding Team USA's tournament ambitions, manager Mark DeRosa told Inside Hook:

"I have a ton of respect for the other countries. I know it will not be easy, but my expectation when we kick off on the 11th is to snatch souls."