The first ticket to the 2026 Little League World Series in South Williamsport has officially been punched as David Doleguita Little League (Chiriquí, Panama) has been crowned Panama Region Champion.

Throughout the tournament, David Doleguita LL went 11-3 overall and earned its spot at the LLWS after winning the three-game championship series over Barrio Colon Little League (Panama Oeste, Panama) to claim the region banner.

This will be the second time David Doleguita LL appears in the LLBWS, dating back to the league’s first appearance in 1993 when it finished as runner-up to the champion Long Beach (Calif.) Little League.

Additionally, it will be the 14th time a team from Panama will make the trip to South Williamsport, its first appearance dating back to 1984 with Willys R. Cook Little League earning the country’s first nod. Since expanding the tournament internationally to 10 teams in 2022, Panama has received direct entry to the LLWS every year outside of the 2024 event, with last year’s representative, Vacamonte Little League, finishing 1-2 in the tournament.

Throughout the years, Panama has been engrained in the history of the Little League program, even outside of the World Series. In 1950, the first leagues established outside the United States were formed on either side of the Panama Canal with the Pacific and Atlantic Little Leagues of Balboa.

The country is also home a number of active MLB players, in addition to 2004 LLBWS graduate, Christian Bethancourt; class of 1991 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Rod Carew, and Mariano Rivera, the only unanimous selection into the Baseball Hall of Fame and a 2015 Little League Hall of Excellence enshrinee who played for Barrio Colon Little League in La Chorrera, Panama, growing up.

The official schedule and website information for the Series will be announced by the end of March, while first-round matchup’s will be shared in mid-June as the 79th Little League World Series will take place from Aug. 19-30.

Panama has been to the Little League World Series as a country 14 times.