The Overwatch World Cup is returning later this year for the first time since 2019, and Blizzard Entertainment has announced the format for the online qualifiers for the main event.
The full tournament will include 36 teams from three regions across the world, with the eligible countries and regions “selected based on Overwatch 2 player population data.”
World Cup Trials will begin next month and competition committees for each region will be responsible for organizing additional tryouts in March before finalizing a roster of seven players in April.
Then, in June, teams within each regional group will face off to earn one of 16 spots at a LAN finals event, “scheduled to be held in the fall of 2023,” according to Blizzard. But China’s fate will play out differently considering Blizzard games are newly banned from that region.
“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,” Blizzard said. “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. We will share more information with players in the China region regarding that process directly.”
The full list of conferences and the countries/teams within them can be found below.
Americas Conference (AMER)
AMER A
- Canada
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
- Mexico
- Puerto Rico
- United States
AMER B
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru
Europe and Middle East Conference (EMEC)
EMEC A
- Belgium
- France
- Great Britain
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Spain
EMEC B
- Germany
- Norway
- Poland
- Saudi Arabia
- Sweden
- Turkey
Asia-Pacific Conference (APAC)
APAC A
- Chinese Taipei
- Hong Kong
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Philippines
- South Korea
APAC B
- Australia
- India
- Malaysia
- New Zealand
- Singapore
- Thailand
