Overview
Cuba's amateur national championship, played by provincial teams since the 1961 abolition of professional baseball.
The Serie Nacional is Cuba's top baseball competition, contested by teams representing the provinces. Professional baseball was abolished on the island in 1961, and the National Series was created to replace the professional Cuban League that had operated since 1878.
For three decades Cuba dominated international amateur baseball, winning three Olympic golds and twenty-five Baseball World Cups. That dominance has receded as players have left for Major League Baseball — many at great personal risk before defection routes were partially eased.
Season Format
Recent Champions
Most recent first. Seasons still in progress are marked.
History
The Cuban League, founded in 1878, was one of the oldest professional leagues in the world and a major destination for Negro Leagues players. It was abolished in 1961 and replaced by the amateur Serie Nacional.
Cuban players have shaped modern MLB — José Abreu, Yoenis Céspedes, Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig, Luis Robert Jr. and Randy Arozarena among many others. A 2018 agreement with MLB that would have allowed players to sign without defecting was cancelled by the United States government in 2019, and the question remains unresolved.
Governance
The series is run by the Cuban Baseball Federation, which is a member of the WBSC.