In a blog post earlier this morning, Blizzard unveiled their plans for Overwatch at 2017's BlizzCon—the Overwatch World Cup will return for another year. After a large amount of participation by fans and professionals alike, the Overwatch World Cup was almost certain to return as a new BlizzCon staple.
The Overwatch World Cup does have key differences from last year's variation; in other words, the staff revamped their approach. The top 32 countries will be determined by a somewhat convoluted process—the top 100 players in each region will determine each region's average Skill Rating, which will be used to narrow down the pool of countries.
Players from each region will select a national committee, tasked with creating the best rosters possible for the entirety of the tournament's duration. Nominees for the committee will be comprised of analysts, experts, coaches, statisticians, and other authorities. Ten in total will be chosen, while three will represent the region after another round of voting.
Voting begins in April after the top 32 countries are locked in.
Four group stage events will occur throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, with eight teams in each group. The top two teams in each group automatically progress to the BlizzCon World Cup finals, for a total of eight teams. Notably, teams in each location will not necessarily play on a home field for their tournament lives.
While not everything is clear, the Overwatch World Cup for 2017 is sure to be an exciting event. More details are promised to be announced as some time passes, but you can play your part in voting by following the official Overwatch social media accounts.
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