Latin America Little League Championship
Most recent season or competition:
2023 Little League World Series qualification
SportBaseball
Founded1958 (1958)
Most recent
champion(s)		Venezuela San Francisco Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela
Most titlesVenezuela Coquivacoa Little League, Maracaibo, Venezuela (10)

The Latin America Region has competed in the Little League World Series since its creation in 1958.[1] Until 2001, the Latin America Region included Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2001 – when the Little League World Series expanded to sixteen teams – Mexico and the Caribbean were given their own regions. The region is open to all countries on the Latin American mainland, but is typically contested by the teams from Panama and Venezuela. Since the 2001 split, the region has been represented by either Venezuela (11 appearances) or Panama (seven appearances) at the Little League World Series, as of 2019.

Following the 2021 LLWS, Panama and the Caribbean Region countries of Cuba and Puerto Rico will take up two berths in the LLWS. Two of the three will send champions to the LLWS each year, while the third will compete in its normal region; the automatic berths will rotate annually. This scheme is part of a planned expansion of the LLWS from 16 to 20 teams that was originally scheduled to occur for 2021, but was delayed to 2022 due to COVID-19.[2]

Teams from Latin America have won the LLWS title five times, but only four were as the Latin America Region champion. The Industrial Little League of Monterrey, Mexico, won back-to-back titles in 1957 and 1958, but the first title was as the champion of the South Region.[1] The other three LLWS championships were won by Guadalupe, Nuevo León, Mexico, in 1997, and Maracaibo, Venezuela, in 1994 and 2000.

Latin America Region countries

Region champions

YearHostChampionCityResult
1957IndustrialMexico MonterreyChampions[1]
1958IndustrialMexico MonterreyChampions[1]
1959San JuanPuerto Rico San JuanQuarterfinals
1960IndustrialMexico Monterrey4th Place
1961IndustrialMexico Monterrey3rd Place
1962Del NorteMexico Monterrey4th Place
1963ObispadoMexico Monterrey5th Place
1964ObispadoMexico MonterreyRunners-up
1965ZuliaVenezuela Maracaibo7th Place
1966CuauhtémocMexico Monterrey6th Place
1967LinaresMexico Linares4th Place
1968ChinandegaNicaragua Chinandega7th Place
1969Jorge RosasPuerto Rico Mayagüez6th Place
1970ChinandegaNicaragua Chinandega3rd Place
1971Caguas GillettePuerto Rico Caguas5th Place
1972Admiral GalleryPuerto Rico San Juan4th Place
1973MitrasMexico Monterrey6th Place
1974CoquivacoaVenezuela Maracaibo4th Place
1975International teams were banned by Little League
1976Puerto NuevoPuerto Rico San Juan3rd Place
1977CoquivacoaVenezuela Maracaibo4th Place
1978La JavillaDominican Republic Santo Domingo4th Place
1979Luis Llorens TorresPuerto Rico Santurce5th Place
1980PabaoCuraçao Willemstad5th Place
1981Unidad ModeloMexico Monterrey7th Place
1982CoquivacoaVenezuela Maracaibo5th Place
1983Liquito HernándezDominican Republic BarahonaRunners-up
1984Willys R. CookPanama Bethania5th Place
1985CoquivacoaVenezuela Maracaibo5th Place
1986CoquivacoaVenezuela Maracaibo4th Place
1987Rolando PaulinoDominican Republic Moca3rd Place
1988CurundúPanama Curundú7th Place
1989CoquivacoaVenezuela Maracaibo3rd Place
1990MatamorosMexico Matamoros5th Place
1991Luis MontasDominican Republic San Cristobal3rd Place
1992Epy GuerreroDominican Republic Santo DomingoT-3rd Place
1993David DoleguitaPanama DavidRunner Up
1994CoquivacoaVenezuela MaracaiboChampions
1995Eduardo SosaDominican Republic Santo DomingoT-3rd Place
1996Matías Ramón MellaDominican Republic San Isidro Air BaseT-3rd Place
1997Linda VistaMexico GuadalupeChampions
1998Puerto Rico BayamónLinda VistaMexico GuadalupeGroup Stage
1999Mexico MonterreyJuan A. BibiloniPuerto Rico YabucoaT-3rd Place
2000Sierra MaestraVenezuela MaracaiboChampions
2001Panama Panama CitySantiago de VeraguasPanama Santiago de VeraguasGroup Stage
2002Nicaragua ManaguaLos LeonesVenezuela ValenciaQuarterfinals
2003Puerto Rico MayagüezAltagraciaVenezuela Los PuertosQuarterfinals
2004Panama Panama CityCurundúPanama Panama CityQuarterfinals
2005Venezuela MaracaiboLos LeonesVenezuela ValenciaGroup Stage
2006Guatemala Guatemala CityCardenalesVenezuela BarquisimetoQuarterfinals
2007Panama Panama CityLa VictoriaVenezuela MaracaiboQuarterfinals
2008Venezuela MaracaiboCoquivacoaVenezuela MaracaiboQuarterfinals
2009Colombia BarranquillaCoquivacoaVenezuela MaracaiboGroup Stage
2010Guatemala Guatemala CityChitréPanama ChitréGroup Stage
2011Costa Rica San JoséGran MaracayVenezuela MaracayInt'l Semifinal
2012Panama AguadulceAguadulcePanama Aguadulce4th Place
2013Ecuador GuayaquilAguadulcePanama AguadulceInt'l Semifinal
2014Nicaragua ManaguaCoquivacoaVenezuela MaracaiboRound 3
2015Colombia BarranquillaCardenalesVenezuela BarquisimetoInt'l Semifinal
2016Panama Panama CityAguadulcePanama Aguadulce3rd place
2017Colombia BarranquillaLuz MaracaiboVenezuela MaracaiboRound 3
2018Panama Panama CityVacamontePanama ArraijánRound 2
2019Panama AguadulceCacique MaraVenezuela MaracaiboRound 2
2022Nicaragua Managua14 de SeptiembreNicaragua ManaguaRound 4
2023Venezuela MaracaiboSan FranciscoVenezuela MaracaiboRound 3

Summary

As of the 2023 Little League World Series

CountryChampionshipsBest Result in LLWS
Venezuela Venezuela22Champions (1994, 2000)
Mexico Mexico14Champions (1957, 1958, 1997) 
Panama Panama10Runners-up
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico73rd Place
Dominican Republic Dominican Republic7Runner up
Nicaragua Nicaragua33rd Place
Curaçao Curaçao15th Place

Italics indicates team no longer competes in Latin America Region. Mexico now has its own region, while Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Curaçao compete in the Caribbean region.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 In 1957, the Industrial Little League of Monterrey, Mexico, was the first team from outside the U.S. and Canada to compete in the LLWS. It competed in an area tournament in McAllen, Texas, won the South Region tournament, and defeated the West Region in the championship game. (The only other two regions in the LLWS were the East and North regions.) As a result, the next year (1958), three new regions were created: Latin America, Canada, and Pacific. Two years later, in 1960, a fourth international region was created: Europe. Two years after that, in 1962, the Pacific Region was replaced by the newly created Far East Region.
  2. ↑ "Little League Baseball and Little League Softball World Series to Expand in 2021". Little League Baseball. Little League International. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
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