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Activision Blizzard, game developer, and organizer of the Overwatch World Cup has announced the return of the tournament in 2023 after a 3-year hiatus from the Overwatch scene.
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.
