Blizzard Entertainment has announced the 36 countries competing in the Overwatch World Cup 2023, which includes teams from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand as representatives of the Asia-Pacific region.

This year, the fifth Overwatch World Cup will be crowing its first champion since 2019, while reigning champion U.S.A. and three-time winner South Korea will try to further cement their legacies.

World Cup Trials and Online Qualifier Competing Countries and Regions

The Overwatch World Cup 2023 will consist of three conferences, each with two separate groups of six countries and regions that have been selected based on Overwatch 2 population data.

Each participating country and region will host World Cup Trials over three weekends in February (Feb. 10–12, Feb. 17–19, and Feb. 24–26). Competition committees will be responsible for organizing additional team tryouts in March and finalizing a team of seven players in April.

Here are the regions and countries participating in the Overwatch World Cup 2023 online qualifiers:

Asia-Pacific Conference (APAC):

Americas Conference (AMER):

Europe and Middle East Conference (EMEC):

Given the current dynamics in China and their strong finishes in the past, 1 team from the country will receive a direct invitation to the group stage, leaving just 15 more slots to compete at the LAN finals scheduled in the Fall of 2023.

Each Overwatch World Cup 2023 team will be represented by a competition committee that consists of the following three roles:

• General Manager: responsible for team operations and communications with Blizzard
• Coach: responsible for leading tryouts, player selection, and all competitive aspects of the team
• Social Lead: responsible for the team’s social media, content, and engagement initiatives

Aspiring committee members can complete the online application form now, which closes on January 30, 2023.

An additional list of FAQs for the Overwatch World Cup 2023 can be seen below:

• What is the format of the World Cup Trials?

• Double-elimination, randomly seeded bracket. The winner of each World Cup Trials will earn a guaranteed spot in their country or region’s team March tryouts.
• Who is allowed to apply for a competition committee position?
  • Any person with an active Battle.net account in good standing is eligible to apply for a committee position for their country or region of residence. 
• Where are the rules of the tournament?
  • World Cup Trials rules will be available in the sign-up portals for each respective tournament.
  • The competition rules for the online qualifiers, group stage, and LAN finals will be delivered directly to the final committees and players for their acknowledgement.
  • Onsite expectations, prizing details, match format, and other information will be communicated directly to these teams.
• What documents do I need to be eligible to participate as part of a representing team?
  • Participants must provide proof of a valid passport, and in the event your passport doesn’t match the country or region you’re trying to represent, you will also need to provide to Blizzard proof of a government-issued identification from the country or region you’re trying to represent.
  • Participants must use a Battle.net account in your name in good standing, with residence registered to the country or region you’re trying to represent.
  • Eligibility to apply and represent will depend on the country of residency and game account standing, so make sure your Blizzard account is up-to-date and in good standing.

Think you got what it takes to compete in the Overwatch World Cup 2023?