(Matt Detrich, USA TODAY)
Like baseball, softball was dropped from the Olympics program after 2008, and, like baseball, it’s not part of the 2024 Paris lineup.
Six teams will play each other in a round-robin-style opening round, and afterward, they’ll be ranked based on records. The top-2 teams will then immediately advance to the gold-medal game, and the third- and fourth-ranked teams will play for bronze.
After winning the 2018 World Softball Championships, Team USA clinched its spot in the Tokyo Games and will play Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Italy for a medal. As in baseball, games will be played at Yokohama Baseball Stadium and Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium.
Most sports don’t begin competition before the July 23 Opening Ceremony, but softball does. The opening round will run from July 21-26 with the medal games set for July 27.
