Blizzard Entertainment has recently unveiled the format for the online qualifiers of the tournament. It announced that the Overwatch 2023 World Cup will feature 36 teams from three global regions. The countries and regions eligible for the tournament were chosen based on Overwatch 2 player population data.

The game developer made a statement on their official web portal announcing the return of its flagship event.

“In 2023, the fifth Overwatch World Cup competition will crown the first World Cup champion since 2019,” the statement read.

“Reigning champion United States and three-time winner South Korea will try to build on their legacy with another gold medal, but the launch of Overwatch 2 brings new competitors to the scene! Will a new champion be crowned this year? It is time to meet your competing countries and regions.”

Blizzard went on to reveal details of the tournament, stating that the event will feature three conferences containing a set of two groups with six countries and regions making up each group. It also went on to share that the competition committee applications will commence next month and that World Cup Trials will run from February 10 through to 26.

“The program 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,” Blizzard said.

“In February, competition committee applications begin. Additionally, each participating country and region will host World Cup Trials over three weekends in February (Feb. 10�C12, Feb. 17�C19, and Feb. 24�C26). Competition committees will be responsible for organizing additional team tryouts in March and finalizing a team of seven players in April.”

With the World Cup Trials set to commence in February, the game organizer added that the competition committees of each region will be responsible for organizing additional tryouts in March. By April, the final rosters of seven players are expected to have been garnered. In June, teams within each regional group are to compete in a bid to earn one of the 16 spots at the LAN finals event, which is scheduled to take place in the fall of 2023.

However, due to the recent ban on Blizzard games in China, the process for the Chinese team will differ. They will be given a direct invitation to the Group Stage and will not participate in the World Cup Trials. The tryout process for the Chinese team will also be different from the other countries and regions, and more information will be provided to players in China directly.

The three conferences to be featured in the Overwatch 2023 World Cup, including the Americas Conference (AMER A & B), the Europe and Middle East Conference (EMEC A & B), and the Asia-Pacific Conference (APAC A & B). Each conference will feature two groups of teams, with countries such as the United States, Canada, and Brazil in the AMER conference, France, Great Britain, and Germany in the EMEC conference, and South Korea, Japan, and Australia in the APAC conference.

Below is a complete breakdown of the 36 teams and six groups selected for the online qualifiers. Three countries each will make it through to the main event from AMER A, EMEC A, and APAC A, while two countries will advance from AMER B, EMEC B, and APAC B.

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

The Overwatch World Cup is a chance for fans to see the best players from around the world compete on a global stage. The tournament has always been a showcase of high-level competitive Overwatch, and fans can expect more of the same this year. The return of the World Cup also gives players an opportunity to represent their countries and make a name for themselves on the global stage. The online qualifiers for the tournament will begin next month, and fans are eagerly waiting to see which teams will come out on top.

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It was announced unexpectedly that the Overwatch World Cup will be held again in 2023 after the conclusion of the Legends Battle tournament in South Korea. The tournament was promoted in a trailer as an opportunity for countries to become “the first World Cup champions of Overwatch 2.”

“Attention, world��after three years away, we��re thrilled to announce that the Overwatch World Cup is returning for 2023, and the competition will be bigger than ever: new game, new players, and new ways of spotlighting your country and region on a global scale,” Blizzard announced.

“We��ll reveal additional program details as they��re ready.”

THE OVERWATCH WORLD CUP IS BACK FOR 2023!

36 teams
36 countries and regions
1 champion.

The epic journey kicks off next month. Are you prepared?

Get the full rundown : https://t.co/eKcSF12RFd pic.twitter.com/5yEQqDgY7t

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) December 17, 2022

Several highly skilled players in competitive Overwatch gained recognition by participating in the Overwatch World Cup, a prestigious international competition that requires both skill and determination.

The tournament has been inactive for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many in the Overwatch community had thought it would never return due to the uncertain global situation.

According to the press release of the event, the next World Cup will include 36 countries, and the participating countries of the tournament will be revealed in January 2023.

The 36 teams will go through trials and tryouts throughout the year, before competing in the World Cup qualifiers in June 2023. From there, 16 teams will advance to a group stage LAN event, with the final eight teams qualifying for the World Cup finals.

“In January, we��ll announce the 36 countries and regions competing in the 2023 Overwatch World Cup, and that��s also when competition committee applications will open,” the statement read.

“Each competition committee will be responsible for organizing tryouts for their country and region, following Blizzard guidelines.”

The organizers announced that they will be introducing a new way for players to compete for a spot on their team through the World Cup Trials competition in an open tournament format.

The winners of the Trials competition in February will earn a direct spot in the tryouts for their team, while regular tryouts will still be available in March for players with a Competitive Rank of Diamond or higher. They encouraged aspiring players to start climbing the ladder now in order to meet the requirement for regular tryouts.

Blizzard also announced that in 2023, “we will be offering some challenges and rewards for all players to help celebrate the return of the Overwatch World Cup.”

It is unknown if Blizzard will bring back BlizzCon, its annual event celebrating its games and fans typically held around Halloween, every year.

However, the timeline for the Overwatch World Cup suggests that it may return in 2023, as the World Cup finals have traditionally been held during BlizzCon.

In 2019, the United States team won their first Overwatch World Cup after four years of competition, breaking South Korea’s three-year streak as champions.

The list of countries participating in the 2023 World Cup has yet to be released, popular teams such as Sweden, Canada, and Brazil are expected to make an appearance. South Korea is expected to be the fans favorite heading into the tournament’s return.

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