The following is a list of squads for each nation competing at the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The tournament started on March 5, 2009. Each participating national federation had a deadline of January 19, 2009 to submit a 45-man provisional roster. Final rosters of 28 players, which also must include a minimum of 13 pitchers and two catchers, were submitted on February 24. If a player on the submitted roster is unable to play, usually due to injury, he can be substituted at any time before the start of the tournament. Roster changes during the competition are restricted to the breaks between rounds of competition—for example, a player who is injured during pool play could not be replaced during the pool phase, but could be replaced if his team advanced to the second round.