Overwatch World Cup 2023: Dates, Teams, Format
All sports fans, from soccer to volleyball, know that one of the main competitions in the life of any athlete is the World Cup. They spend years preparing for this event to make their country famous worldwide and go down as champions in history. In cybersports, the format of a traditional world championship has not yet taken root, as in soccer. But one game has been successfully used to host a world championship for national teams. And that game is called Overwatch.
Since 2016, Blizzard Entertaiment has held one world championship per year. Three times in a row, the world champions have been the South Korean national team, and last time it was the U.S. national team. After a three-year hiatus, the World Cup returns, and for the first time, will be held in Overwatch 2.
New Format: 36 Teams, Three Stages and Open Tryouts
One of the main innovations in the upcoming World Cup is to increase the number of participants. In 2016 there were 16, then two years in a row, there were 8, and in 2019 there will be 10. Now there will be significantly more - 36.
Overwatch World Cup 2023 is divided into three stages. The first stage will take place in January next year.
In January, Blizzard will announce the 36 countries and regions competing in the 2023 Overwatch World Cup, and that’s also when competition committee applications will open. Each competition committee will be responsible for organizing tryouts for their country and region, following Blizzard guidelines.
Then the second stage will begin, which will run from February to June, and will be divided into the following categories:
February
- World Cup Trials - Open tournament to earn a guaranteed spot in the country and regional team tryouts.
- Committee Announcement - Blizzard announces competition committees.
March
- Team Tryouts - Competition committees host tryouts.
- Team Selection - Competition committee selects the Country and Regional team from tryouts. Blizzard ensures competitive integrity of selection process.
June
- World Cup Qualifiers - 36 Country and Regional teams compete in six regional qualifiers. Top 16 teams advance to the Overwatch World Cup Group Stage.
The third and final stage will take place in the fall of 2023. First, 16 teams will play in the group stage, and the top eight will advance to the playoffs. In a single-elimination bracket, they will determine the Overwatch World Cup Medalists and World Champions.
It has not yet been announced about the prize fund of the tournament, where it will be held and other rules. So stay tuned for further announcements, including details about each stage of the 2023 Overwatch World Cup, viewer information, and much more!
