the little league world series currently consists of 16 teams; eight from the united states, and eight from other countries. from the inaugural 1947 tournament through 1956, there were predominantly u.s.-based teams, usually eight, competing in a single-elimination format. one canadian team played in 1952, and one in 1953. regions were introduced in 1957, and that tournament included the first non-u.s. champion, monterrey, mexico, although they represented the u.s. south region. international regions were added in 1958. from 1962 through 2000, the eight teams in the tournament came from four u.s and four international regions: