Talks of the need of a Pan-American Baseball Confederation sparked with the founding of the European Baseball Confederation back in the 1950's, although it was not until 1984, during the World Cup played in Cuba and after three decades as being viewed as something unnecessary since really the International Baseball Federation was more or less already directed by Latin-American countries, that 12 countries of the Americas finally voted in favor of the Confederation.

The first ever Confederaciòn Panamericana de Béisbol (COPABE) Executive meeting was held on March 1985, and 11 countries participated in its first ever Congress on March 15. The Congress saw the election of Oswaldo Matias Flores (Cuba) as the first president of the organization.

On October 5 1987 began the first Pan American Championship (Cuba won the tournament) and the day after the Congress elected Edwin Zerpa Pizzorno (Venezuela) as the new President of the organization.

In the late 1980's and early 1990's COPABE concentrated on developing tournaments at the youth level all over the Continent.