Dumont began discussing an international tournament that would feature multiple semipro teams from across the globe in 1948, supported by J. G. Taylor Spink, publisher of The Sporting News, and Alejandro Aguilar Reyes, founder and then-commissioner of the Mexican League.

[4] The IBC was supported in their efforts by the U.S. Department of State, which saw it as a means of promoting American ideals around the world; President Dwight D. Eisenhower personally endorsed the tournament, writing that "friendships derived from sports competition are enduring.

The 1955 Global World Series included representatives of Hawaii, Colombia, Spain, Puerto Rico, Japan, Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

[9] The 1956 U.S. selection, a semi-pro team from Fort Wayne, included John Kennedy, a Negro Leaguer who would soon become the first African American to play for the Philadelphia Phillies, and Don Pavletich, a future catcher for the Cincinnati Reds.

Canada was represented by the North Battleford Beavers, Japan by the Nippon Oil club from Yokohama, and Hawaii by the Honolulu Red Sox.

[4] As in 1955, the national teams from Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico were all-star squads, primarily comprising winter league players, while the 1956 European champion was the Netherlands, including former Giants prospect Han Urbanus.

The United States was represented by an amateur club from Sinton, Texas, which included former big leaguers Paul Schramka, Wilmer Fields, and Clint Hartung.