Blizzard has announced plans for the return of the Overwatch World Cup in 2023, involving 36 different countries and regions from across the world. The Overwatch World Cup has been on hiatus since 2019, when the United States won its first cup by defeating China 3-0. The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented Blizzard from hosting the tournament since, but with restrictions fading nation by nation and Overwatch 2 having launched, now seems to be the right time to bring the Overwatch World Cup back.The Overwatch World Cup officially began in 2016, the year that Overwatch first launched. Teams were formed through popular vote, with Overwatch players choosing their favorite players from each country or region. Six teams were auto-qualified for the Overwatch World Cup group stage, with 50 total teams competing through a bracket for the remaining positions. 2019 reformatted the Overwatch World Cup into three stages, with any country open to joining the initial preliminary stage.Blizzard's plans for the 2023 Overwatch World Cup are somewhat more complicated. The event itself remains in three stages, including qualifiers, group stage, and finals. However, Blizzard has further separated its plans into three planning stages for administrative purposes. Stage 1 in January involves selecting 36 countries and regions, as well as accepting committee applications for forming regional teams. Stage 2 involves forming regional committees, committees holding tryouts, team selection, a World Cup Trials Overwatch 2 open tournament, and then the qualifiers themselves.
The World Cup Qualifiers will take place in June and will conclude Blizzard's Stage 2 plan. The 36 teams from countries and regions across the world will compete in six regional qualifier events, with 16 teams advancing to Stage 3 and the Overwatch World Cup group stage. The group stage, an in-person round-robin tournament, and the finals, involving the top 8 Overwatch 2 teams in the world, will take place in the fall.
The message that Blizzard appears to want clear to Overwatch 2 players across the world is that everyone can get involved. Casual players can help form committees, and top players can try out for their regional teams regardless of whether they're Overwatch 2 pros or not. Blizzard will be involved in every step of the process, but it wants each country and region to be responsible for its own team.
It's an interesting approach to forming Overwatch World Cup teams, and it is certainly fairer and more accessible than polls. With luck, it'll lead to a high level of international Overwatch 2 competition, the rise of new stars, and just a generally enjoyable event overall. Fans can expect more specific information on the 2023 Overwatch World Cup in the weeks and months to come.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
