Blizzard announce return of the Overwatch World Cup for 2023

It’s been years since the Overwatch World Cup brought the best every region has to offer together for a global event. Now, they’ve announced the return of the tournament in 2023.

Despite everything from launch issues to player complaints about game balance, Overwatch 2 is still going strong.

Though the pro scene has seen some big shake-ups with team size being taken from 6 down to 5, Blizzard seems fully committed to fostering a pro scene for Overwatch 2.

They’ve shown that commitment by bringing back the Overwatch World Cup for 2023. With it being the first World Cup since 2019, it’ll be the first big international event of this scale for Overwatch 2.

Overwatch World Cup returns in 2023

The announcement for the 2023 World Cup came with some details, as well as a roadmap for when more information about the event will be released.

The Overwatch World Cup exists separately from the Overwatch League and has more ways for players worldwide to get involved.

36 teams will be created to compete against one another, and players who are Diamond and above will be able to participate in tryouts for the chance to represent their region.

This roadmap shows Blizzard’s projected schedule for the Overwatch World Cup, with Qualifiers starting in June. The long process of finding each region’s best players will go late into the year, with the top 16 teams competing in Fall 2023.

The World Cup will run alongside the pro league, making this a tournament meant for the best Overwatch players that aren’t currently participating in pro play.

At the time of writing, the 36 regions participating haven’t been confirmed.

With the announcement of this international tournament, players will have more ways to keep up with and interact with the highest level of play than just the OWL.