South Korea will take on Australia and the Netherlands, along with a qualifier to be determined, in the opening round of the World Baseball Classic next year, officials said Wednesday.

South Korea has been paired with the two countries in Pool B for first-round matches from March 2 to 5 at Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, according to the World Baseball Classic Inc., which operates the WBC tournament.

The fourth and the final place in Pool B will go to the winner of the fourth group in the ongoing qualifying round.

Taiwan, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippines will vie for that fourth berth from Nov. 15 to 18 at Xinzhuang Stadium in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The host country is considered the favorite to join South Korea, Australia and the Netherlands.

The WBC tournament will be played from March 2 to 19, with the championship match scheduled at AT&T Park in San Francisco, home to the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball.

Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, hosted the inaugural WBC final in 2006, and Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was the venue for the 2009 championship match.

South Korea finished third at the inaugural WBC in 2006 and was runner-up to Japan at the 2009 tournament.

The WBC expanded to 28 teams this time, with 12 countries having qualified for the first round and 16 others competing for four spots in the first round. 

In the opening round, Pool A features Japan, China, Cuba and a qualifier. Pool C has Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and a qualifier. Pool D includes the U.S., Mexico, Italy and a qualifier.

In the double-elimination second round, the top two teams from Pool A will face the top two from Pool B at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, from March 7 to 10. The first two seeds from Pool C and Pool D will square off on the other side of the bracket at Marlins Park, the home of the Miami Marlins of MLB in Florida, from March 12 to 16. 

(Yonhap News)