The Overwatch World Cup had some incredible moments while the game was at its peak and since then, we have yet to see Blizzard Entertainment world championship take place. With the release of Overwatch 2, Blizzard wants to bring back the world championship next year after a four-year hiatus. There will be 36 teams that compete in the event and there will be a brand-new format with open competition.

Overwatch World Cup 2023 Overview

Here is a timeline of how the format will play out leading up to the world championship.

January 2023

Blizzard Entertainment will announce the 36 countries and regions competing in the 2023 Overwatch World Cup, and that’s also when competition committee applications will open. Each competition committee will be responsible for organizing tryouts for their country and region, following Blizzard guidelines. In previous iterations of the world cup, countries were selected based on the average skill rating of the top players in the countries and a similar selection criteria is likely to be implemented this time around.

February 2023

The World Cup Trials competition will earn winning players a direct spot in the tryouts for their team. Players will still be able to sign up for regular tryouts in March. Regular tryouts will have a Competitive Rank requirement of Diamond and above, so aspiring players should start climbing the ladder now. 

June 2023

After team rosters are finalized, Overwatch World Cup qualifiers are planned to take place through a regional online competition, narrowing 36 teams to 16 for the next tournament phase. Those 16 teams will then battle it out in a LAN environment in the fall of 2023 to determine the first World Cup champion since 2019.

There is also an additional program in the works but Blizzard wants to keep the details under wraps for now. There will also be new challenges and rewards for players who want to watch the competition unfold.

Overwatch League will continue to be the flagship esports circuit which will also return in 2023 with a new competitive season. Teams are currently signing new players and finalizing their rosters. The details of Overwatch League 2023 will be announced after March 2023.