Guest column by Bruce Allardice
This list — developed for Protoball.org by its estimable chief Bruce Allardice, who succeeded the site’s late founder, Larry McCray — provides links to the first baseball game or club in each of the world’s 198 countries. We provide it at Our Game in the belief that it will be invaluable to researchers.
The countries are listed per their present-day names and boundaries. For example, Algeria was part of France in 1883 when baseball was first played there, but is independent today. Former nations such as Austro-Hungary, the Soviet Union and Sarawak aren’t specifically listed.
The games may or may not be played by residents of that country. See the Protoball entries (links provided) for further explanation. In addition to the world’s nations, 33 colonies, territories, subdivisions and the like (for a total of 231 listings) are also included. Of the countries/political entities for which we have dates, 58 saw their first baseball in the 1800s, 124 in the 1900s, and 44 in the 2000s. No baseball has yet been found for five.
Further analysis could be done by year, by region, and by how the game was brought there. For the latter, the US Navy (and Air Force in World War II) was responsible for the “first baseball” in many areas of South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Pacific Ocean. For the Middle East, US oil workers may be credited. Predecessor games — such as pesäpallo in Finland, or stoolball in England— are not listed.
For the United Kingdom, see the constituent parts (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland). The UK link is just for the Channel Islands.
Auxiliary links in the navigation bars on the left and right may well prove useful. Dates alongside the links below are suggestive; for example, 1845 is offered for the United States although we know of earlier dates for baseball play (1786, 1791, 1805, 1832) if not for the first documented games or clubs.
(I have been involved with the Protoball Project since its beginning and may have supplied Larry McCray with its name. For more about this valiant, worthy effort, see: https://protoball.org/Protoball:About. Because Larry wrote that piece, he could not have envisioned how ably he would be succeeded in his captaincy by Bruce Allardice.)
Afghanistan 1946
Albania 1922
Algeria 1883
American Samoa 1920
Andorra xxx
Angola 1990
Antarctica 1947
Antigua and Barbuda 2003
Argentina 1886
Armenia 1920
Aruba 1929
Ascension Island 1944
Australia 1855
Austria 1874
Azerbaijan 2020
Azores 1917
Bahrain 1948
Bangladesh 1924
Barbados 1883
Belarus 1994
Belgium 1897
Belize 1924
Benin 2015
Bermuda 1894
Bhutan 1995
Bolivia 1920
Bonaire 2002
Bosnia 1999
Botswana 1990
Brazil 1867
Brunei 2009
Bulgaria 1988
Burkina Faso 2004
Burma (Myanmar) 1909
Burundi 2017
Cambodia 2017
Cameroon 1997
Canada 1838/1854
Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) 1883
Cayman Islands 1990
Chad 2011
Chile 1867
China 1863
Colombia 1903/1913
Cook Islands 2015
Costa Rica 1919
Cote d'Ivoire 2011
Croatia 1918
Cuba 1866
Curacao 1934
Cyprus 1999
Czech Republic 1920
Democratic Republic of the Congo 2010
Denmark 1883
Diego Garcia 1977
Djibouti 2004
Dominica xxx
Dominican Republic 1890
East Timor (Timor-Leste) xxx
Ecuador 1920
Egypt 1889
El Salvador 1913
Enewetak 1945
England 1871
Equatorial Guinea xxx
Eritrea 1952
Estonia 1919
Eswatini 1971
Ethiopia 1925
Federated States of Micronesia 1945
Fiji 1939
Finland 1980
France 1868
French Guiana 2019
French Polynesia 1939
Gabon 1980
Georgia 1987
Germany 1861
Ghana 1942
Gibraltar 1930
Greece 1890
Greenland 1943
Grenada 2008
Guam 1908
Guatemala 1910
Guinea 2020
Guinea-Bissau 2016
Guyana 2012
Haiti 1913
Honduras 1910
Hong Kong 1866
Hungary 1922
Iceland 1942
India 1910
Indonesia 1944
Iran 1906
Iraq 1934
Ireland 1874
IsleofMan 1934
Israel 1927
Italy 1868
Jamaica 1881
Japan 1871
Jordan 1975
Kazakhstan 1944
Kenya 1933
Kiribati 1871
Korea (South) 1894
Kosovo 2015
Kuwait 1979
Kyrgyzstan 2008
Laos 1974
Latvia 1920
Lebanon 1903
Lesotho 1999
Liberia 1944
Libya 1930
Liechtenstein xxx
Lithuania 1922
Luxembourg 1945
Macao 1943
Macedonia (North) 2017
Madagascar 2020
Malawi 2012
Malaysia 1975
Maldives 2019
Mali 2011
Malta 1890
MarshallIslands 1945
Martinique 1919
Mauritania 2012
Mauritius 1954
Mexico 1847
Moldova 1987
Monaco 1966
Mongolia 1994
Montenegro 2015
Morocco 1930
Mozambique 1979
Namibia 1950
Nauru 1969
Nepal 1889
New Caledonia 1943
New Zealand 1881
Nicaragua 1888
Niger 2011
Nigeria 1990
North Korea 1910
North Pole 1960
Northern Ireland 1889
Northern Marianas Islands 1938
Norway 1990
Oman 2020
Pakistan 1942
Palau 1927
Panama 1883
Papua New Guinea 1932
Paraguay 1946
Peru 1867
Philippines 1998
Poland 1919
Portugal 1867
Puerto Rico 1897
Qatar 1997
Romania 1923
Russia 1867
Rwanda 2020
Saint Martin 1961
Samoa 1917
San Marino 1960
Saudi Arabia 1945
Scotland 1870
Senegal 1945
Serbia 1922
Seychelles 2009
Sierra Leone 1990
Singapore 1868
Slovakia 1991
Slovenia 1987
Solomon Islands 1944
Somalia 1991
South Africa 1883
South Sudan 2018
Spain 1889
Sri Lanka 1889
St Vincent and the Grenadines 2001
St. Kitts and Nevis 2017
St.Lucia 1892
Sudan 1991
Suriname 1921
Sweden 1904
Switzerland 1870
Syria 2010
Taiwan 1897
Tajikistan 2015
Tanzania 1959
Thailand 1928
The Bahamas 1876
The Comoros 2000
The Gambia 2018
The Netherlands 1905
Togo 2011
Tonga 1943
Trinidad and Tobago 1899
Tunisia 1921
Turkey 1884
Turkmenistan 2005
Tuvalu 1943
Uganda 1999
Ukraine 1922
United Arab Emirates 1998
United Kingdom 1870
United States 1845
Uruguay 1889
Uzbekistan 1943
Vanuatu 1943
Vatican City 1883
Venezuela 1895
Vietnam 1966
Virgin Islands (U.S.) 1890
Wales 1892
Yemen 1947
Zambia 1988
Zimbabwe 1999
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