Finally after 2019, the fifth Overwatch World Cup competition will crown its new World Cup champion this year. This time the tournament will also include Asia-Pacific representatives India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
World Cup Trials and Online Qualifier Competing Countries and Regions
The programme will consist of three conferences, each with two separate groups of six countries and regions. These countries and regions have been selected based on Overwatch 2 player population data. In February, competition committee applications begin. Additionally, each participating country and region will host World Cup Trials over three weekends in February (10 to 12 February, 17 to 19 February, and 24 to 26 February). Competition committees will be responsible for organising additional team tryouts in March and finalising a team of seven players in April.
In June, teams will compete within their groups to earn one of 16 spots at the LAN finals, scheduled to be held in the fall of 2023. Given the current dynamics in China, and that a team from China has always performed very well, including two second place finishes in the last two Overwatch World Cups, a Team from China will receive a direct invitation to the Group Stage. There will be no World Cup Trials in China, and the Team will not compete in the Online Qualifiers. The tryouts process in China will differ from that of other countries/regions.
Here is a breakdown of the 36 teams and six groups for the online qualifiers:
Asia-Pacific Conference (APAC):
|
APAC A |
APAC B |
|
Chinese Taipei |
Australia |
|
Hong Kong |
India |
|
Indonesia |
Malaysia |
|
Japan |
New Zealand |
|
Philippines |
Singapore |
|
South Korea |
Thailand |
Americas Conference (AMER):
|
AMER A |
AMER B |
|
Canada |
Argentina |
|
Costa Rica |
Brazil |
|
Guatemala |
Chile |
|
Mexico |
Colombia |
|
Puerto Rico |
Ecuador |
|
United States |
Peru |
Europe and Middle East Conference (EMEC):
|
EMEC A |
EMEC B |
|
Belgium |
Germany |
|
France |
Norway |
|
Great Britain |
Poland |
|
Italy |
Saudi Arabia |
|
Netherlands |
Sweden |
|
Spain |
Turkey |
With a team from China securing one of the 16 spots advancing to groups, this is the distribution of remaining 15 spots that teams will compete for in the online qualifiers:
|
AMER A |
EMEC A |
APAC A |
AMER B |
EMEC B |
APAC B |
|
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Competition Committees
Each team will be represented by a competition committee that consists of the following three roles:
- General Manager: responsible for team operations and communications with Blizzard
- Coach: responsible for leading tryouts, player selection, and all competitive aspects of the team
- Social Lead: responsible for the team’s social media, content, and engagement initiatives
Aspiring committee members can complete the online application. The submission window will close 30 January 2023. The selection process will be finalised from 1 to 10 February, with Blizzard selecting the committee members for each country and region. To be an eligible Committee Candidate or prospective player for the 2023 Overwatch World Cup, you must be over the age of 18 by 1 October 2023.