The first Baseball World Cup was held in 1938, and included only two teams, Great Britain and the USA (won by Great Britain). The event has been held regularly since then, with the 39th World Cup held in Panama in 2011.
Until 1988, the Amateur World Series was held in intervals of one to four years, except for an eight-year period from 1953 to 1961. From 1988 to 2001, the Baseball World Cup was held in intervals of two to four years. Since 2001, the tournament was held every two years.
Up until 1988 the event was called the Amateur World Series, with the event limited to limited to amateur players until 1998. Since 1998, professional minor league players have competed, but Major League Baseball did not allow its players to participate.
The 2011, the last World Cup was held.