Hello everyone, my name is Alexandre “san alex” Simões I am currently the General Manager (GM) for Team Portugal. Previously I worked with Samsung Morning Stars and other teams in Contenders Europe. I specialize in scouting of coaches and players. Today I will present to you my 2019 Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) tier list.

I will strongly favour teams that have proved players in Contenders and Overwatch League (OWL) on this list.

My criteria from the most important to the least:

- Number of Contenders or OWL players/coaches in the roster

- Previous participations in the OWWC

- Participation in Open Division (OD) /Trials/other tournaments

This rank only considers the top 7 of each country that will participate in the OWWC. I will not consider any show matches or tournaments like the Euro Cup that occurred or may occur in the meantime. Unless both teams are using their top 7.

Predictions will be more accurate around top #25. They will also be more detailed.

#47 Team Paraguay

No Contenders or OWL players

Paraguay Overwatch (OW) scene is small, despite that, they organize tournaments in their community to introduce people to competitive. Currently, they do not have any player in Contenders South America (SA), and it’s their first OWWC. This lack of experience will be a decisive factor against them when they face experienced teams.

#46 Team Malaysia

No Contenders or OWL players

Malaysia staff is doing a really good job promoting its team. Still this is one of the few countries that has never seen a player from its nation reaching Contenders level. This is their second time participating in the OWWC and in 2016 they did not manage to qualify for the final stage in a group with Singapore and the Philippines. I expect them to struggle against experienced sides.

#45 Team Egypt

No Contenders or OWL players

Egypt has two players that recently reached the final of the 1 million OW Saudi Tournament. Lan experience will be useful for the pharaohs but might not be enough to bring them far in the tournament when matched against experienced teams. Egyptians play in the EU server with high latency, so we are yet to see them playing with a good connection and the OWWC is the perfect chance for that.

#44 Team South Africa (ZA)

No Contenders or OWL players

This is ZA second time playing in an OWWC qualifier. I remember they had many top 500 players back in 2016 and I know their community is big. Unfortunately, they play in the EU server (high latency) so we do not know how they would perform in normal conditions. There is not any South African player in Contenders but they do have a GM that is quite known in the EU scene (TechGirl). I hope this team can make it to the offline event as they were never given a chance to play on equal latency with other teams before.

#43 Team Kuwait

No Contenders or OWL players

Kuwait has some top 500 players and very competent staff that even participated and won the 1 million OW Saudi Regional Tournament. I believe ToxiNTV (Kuwait national coach) has the ability and knowledge to organize the team well, that said, the lack of players with experience in Contenders might be costly when facing better teams.

#42 Team Philippines

One Contenders player

Philippines is another team with a strong presence in social media. Although most of their players never played in Tier 2 their strength relies in the fact that they have five players from MMK (an open division team from Pacific region) which should grant them extra synergy. They also have one Contenders player that is a sub for “Far East Society” a top team from Contenders.

#41 Team India

One Contenders player

India has a good structure in place with Global Esports managing the entirety of the operations. They have one Contenders player Cruzi, but from my research he is yet to play a match in Contenders. Also, they have a familiar face to me “kcot” an absolute legend at the sniper role in TF2. I am excited to see them in action at the OWWC 2019 but the lack of experience of the roster might be costly to the Indian team.

#40 Team Colombia

Two Contenders players

Colombia has two players with experience in Contenders SA in its roster which is a positive aspect and should add more depth to the team. This is their second time in the OWWC qualifiers and in their first-time participation they qualified in the group stage with wins against Mexico and Costa Rica. Colombia would later lose to Chile, but it is still a great feat and proof that they have some very decent talent.

#39 Team Greece

No Contenders or OWL players / Contenders Coach

The famous greek player “Avatar” did not make it to the final roster. This team strength relies on their staff and although they have iLka that is a top coach with experience in North America (NA) and Europe (EU) they lack tier 2 players, which might hurt their chances of going far in the OWWC.

#38 Team Romania

One Contenders player

Romania gave us ML7, Meza and shadder2k, this alone should be enough to show you how this country OW scene is full of talented people. Currently, Skairipa from Clockwork Vendetta (CV) is their only player in tier 2. I was expecting Romania to put up good matches but they officially dropped from the competition this month so we will not be seeing them in action at Blizzcon.

#37 Team Ireland

No Contenders or OWL players

Ireland has a lot of presence in social media and has a fantastic GM guiding them. Despite a great staff Ireland does not have any professional player. They do have some top Open/Trials players and they also practise a lot. I expect this team to have a lot of synergy and be able to perform well in the upcoming OWWC. I would not be surprised if they pull some upsets!

#36 Team Austria

One Contenders player

This team could be stronger if the age restrictions were not in place. Austria lost ecLipse that is only 16 years old and some players that decided to not participate. Still this should be an interesting team to watch. They have one Contenders player Minimi the captain and main tank player of CV and Wat7 as their coach.

#35 Team Switzerland

One Contenders player & Coach

Switzerland has a big community backing and a solid roster. The attention goes to Helv, an upcoming talent that has Contenders experience. Their coach LUFT also has a lot of experience which should grant them some stability. This team finished last and lost to Austria in the OWWC 2018 qualifier, I am putting them ahead of their neighbours this time.

#34 Team Peru

Two Contenders players & Coach

This is the second time Peru is participating in the OWWC qualifiers. Peru has three players currently in Contenders including Keath a player from “Fury” a top 2 team in SA, that joined as the country national coach. This country brought some talents to Contenders in the last years, so I am expecting them to be decent.

#33 Team Mexico

One Contenders player & one ex OWL player

Mexico has Nomy that played for San Francisco Shock and is currently in Contenders. They also have Sam that has played multiple seasons in Contenders SA. I do not know much about this team, but I would not be surprised if they are actually better than #30. I have been following their twitter, and I can see their community is quite big!

#32 Team Saudi Arabia

One Contenders player

Saudi Arabia has multiple top 500 players and even one Contenders player (KSAA). Unfortunately, they are affected by the bad connection to EU servers, so they cannot really show their full potential in online. This factor leads me to believe that on stage and offline they would perform much better. Consider that Saudi Arabia organized a 1 million tournament last year, their community is huge and there are multiple known names associated with them in the staff and roster.

#31 Team Bulgaria

Two Contenders playes

Bulgaria has two Contenders players playing in NA, Bogur from Revival and BucK a substitute for Phase 2. I am confident this team can definitely create some upsets against good teams. They have a talented squad, but the lack of more experienced players to play alongside Bogur and BucK can be costly in an international event like the OWWC.

#30 Team Chile

Six Contenders players & Coach

This is Chile’s second participation in the OWWC. The first time they beat Argentina and Peru in the group stage and Colombia in the playoffs. This allowed them to reach Blizzcon where they would then lose all games in a group that was honestly stacked (USA, Russia, Germany, Chile). Most of the Chile roster as well as their coach is from Team Scarlet from Contenders SA . The remaining players are also Contenders level. Chile has proved their worth in the past, and I think they can do it again.

#29 Team Israel

Two Contenders player & Coach

Eqo will not play for Israel, but this team has other stars. You should look for Darkartas. This main tank player has insane mechanics, and he will surely be one of the players to watch in this team. The rest of the squad has also some known names in the European community like awkward. Overall I expect Israel to be a solid team as they also have a Contenders coach.

#28 Team Poland

One OWL Player

Poland has Danye, one of the most versatile DPS players from EU. They have produced good mechanical players in the past but the country has not performed well in past editions of the OWWC, even when the qualifier was organized in Katowice (Poland). Also, last year they went home with a 0–5 record in the group stage. All these factors make me concerned on how far they can actually go.

#27 Hong Kong

Three Contenders players

Hong Kong has raised a decent number of good players in their community in the past years. They currently have ManGoJai, a Contenders champion of the Pacific Contenders, Moowe another top player from this region and Mikouw. The remaining players are all also quite capable, so I am expecting them to have a balanced squad.

#26 Team Iceland

One OWL player & one Contenders player

Iceland achieved glory in 2016 by beating and eliminating the United Kingdom (UK) from the group stage and qualifying for the EU playoffs. They currently have one OWL player (Finnsi) and a top Contenders player that will be playing DPS (Hafficool). I have information the remaining players are also quite good although they lack experience.

#25 Team Latvia

One OWL player and two Contenders players & Coach

If you are surprised to see Latvia here it is because possibly you have not seen MirroR playing. This player is a powerhouse, but he is not alone, Forsak3 also has Contenders experience and sharyk is currently playing for Toronto Defiant in OWL. These top players are joined by GGMentality a Contenders coach. Also consider that Latvia participated in 2016 with the Baltic and Caspian Sea team, and they reached the final 12 of the EU 2016 qualifiers! I am pretty sure under the right conditions Latvia will put up a show in the OWWC.

#24 Team Argentina

Seven Contenders players & Coach

Argentina brings a full team of top Contenders players. The main star is klaus the talented young player that is currently playing in NA. The rest of the team is also top level in the SA region. Máximo is a champion for Lowkey Esports, Searchy and BEAST are finalists and Jhein and kaizak reached top 4. Also leviataN is a previous Contenders SA Champion. They also have ddx coaching them (Lowkey Esports player). Overall it looks like a solid team.

#23 — Team Japan

Seven Contenders players & Coach

Japan has a full Contenders roster plus coach and even a player in XL2 academy team. They performed super good in the OWWC 2017 Syndey qualifier. Still, Japanese teams have seen better days in Contenders Pacific region. I am putting them in this position because they are probably not at the same level as before but look out for this team, they have a solid side.

#22 New Zealand (NZ)

One OWL player / Five Contenders players & Coach

This is NZ’s second participation in the OWWC. This time they bring a stronger roster. They have OWL experience with Colourhex from Boston Uprising in the DPS role but he is not alone, they also have Signed that recently won Contenders Australia with ORDER and a couple more proved Contenders players and coach.

#21 Team Singapore

Five Contenders players & OWL Coach

Singapore brings a strong side for this edition. I am expecting them to preform much better than their previous 0–4 record in Katowice. Currently, they have a mix of top Contenders players from the Pacific region and an OWL coach to back them (JohnGalt) from LA Gladiators. The team is looking strong with the likes of ZeonFlux and Xenofly (Contenders finalists) and Bubblekitty, Sachokk, Jervyz that finished top 4 in the Pacific region.

#20 Team Italy

One Contenders player & Coach

Italy roster has been doing great in show matches. The standouts are HearhTBeat and Dragoneddy a player with experience in Contenders. The team also has a Contenders coach from Contenders Australia “joYnt” that is registered as their 7th player. This team is looking promising but I cannot put them higher than this as Italy never performed well in an OWWC before.

#19 Team Spain

Two OWL players & Contenders coach

Spain last participation in the OWWC was not good at all, the team finished 0–5 in their group in Thailand. This team has a Contenders coach and the rest of the roster consists of neptuNo and HarryHook from OWL and more known names from the Spanish community like T3lle and Solmyr. I am expecting Spain to perform better this year but I am not sure if they can compete with the best teams.

#18 Team Portugal

One OWL player, three Contenders players & Coach

Although mowzassa is out of the picture for Portugal, we still count with Greyy (from OWL), Phatt and AFoxx (Contenders EU champions) and Horthic from Contenders, as well as some top 500 players from the community. The team also has a Contenders coach. (GizmomcS). After a good performance in 2017, it is expected that this roster would perform even better. If the team gets the funds to make it of course.

#17 Team Thailand

One OWL player and six Contenders players & coach

Thailand is bringing a full pro roster with oPuTo (Contenders Pacific Champion) Mickie from Dallas Fuel and Teetawat from Boston Academy as well as other Contender players from the region. Mickie and oPuTo participated in all the previous editions together and their best achievement was in 2017 when they reached the playoffs of the Shanghai group stage, after a surprising 2–2 draw against Denmark and a 4–0 win against Argentina.

#16 Team Taiwan

One OWL player, Six Contenders players & Coach

Taiwan produced a lot of good players in the last 4 years and at some point had a full Taiwanese team dominating the Pacific scene (Flash Wolves). In the 2017 OWWC they qualified in a group with the USA, Brazil and NZ achieving this nation best result in the history of the competition. Most players on the roster are top players from the Pacific region, for example the contenders champion CQB. They also have an OWL player that barely saw playtime this season for the Chengdu Hunters Baconjack and a contenders coach. Overall this team should be solid.

#15 Team Norway

3 Contenders players & OWL coach

Norway was two times one match away to making it to Blizzcon. In 2016 they lost to Russia. In 2017 they lost to France and in 2018, they had Canada and the USA in their group (so give them a discount.). We learnt to respect Norway year after year, but they are yet to make the final step up that gives them the chance to participate in Blizzcon and unfortunately I do not think this is their year. The duo ONIGOD & TracK is making a return and should cause havoc against most teams not in top 10. The frontline is the same as 2018, with Decod & Tricky and the support duo is unknown to me. Although from the show matches I watched they seem capable and high level.

#14 Team Germany

Four Contenders players & Coach

With many players retiring, and Kodak deciding not to participate in the OWWC, I thought Germany would be in trouble this year, but instead they show up with a solid roster and new stars from Contenders EU. Hadi and Moose should make a formidable frontline, the team also counts with the Torbjorn specialist Engineer and has illbethebest as flex support, an upcoming talent in Germany. I believe the CV duo will influence this team a lot in a good way and make Germany a contender to reach the final 10.

#13 Team Brazil

One OWL player and 6 Contenders players & coach

If you check Brazil’s results you will see there is some small progression year after year. In fact they finished their group in 2018 with a positive score and even put up a good fight against USA and beat all the European teams(Norway, Austria, Switzerland). Now they have OWL experience with alemao and a roster full of the best players Contenders SA can offer. The evidence points out that this is the best team Brazil is bringing to a world cup thus far.

#12 Team Russia

Two OWL players and 6 Contenders players

Russia reached the final of the OWWC in 2016 but since then they never returned to Blizzcon. They were always a top contender but were unlucky to face Finland and South Korea in the deciding match in the previous editions. Unfortunately, I do not think this year Russia will be stronger. Half of their roster has been inactive for some time. I do not see any reason to put them in top 10 but they are still a strong side.

#11 Team Netherlands

7 Contenders players & OWL Coach

Last year OWrange was a strong team but this time they are coming even stronger. They got considerable upgrades specially in their tank and flex support roles with daans and Trispear respectively as well as the DPS player A10. They also have been preforming very well in scrims and show matches. This team together with Denmark has the best chances of getting to Blizzcon outside the top 10 teams and this is why I am ranking them #11.

#10 Team Australia

One OWL player and Coach and six Contenders players

Australia never failed to qualify for a Blizzcon in their history. Some had doubts they would qualify in 2018, but they did it comfortably. Then at Blizzcon they failed to break the top 8 again. I see a lot of top names returning this year ( ckm, Punk, Trill, ieatuup) they are joined by Tongue and Unter (Contenders AU Champion). They also have Face the coach that lead Talon Esports to a contenders victory registered as a player. After deciding not to participate in 2017 Custa is not participating again in 2019. I am actually dropping Australia a few positions because of this, we all know how much Custa can influence positively a team.

#9 Team France

Three OWL players and five contenders players & coach

France roster looks competitive and probably better than people are giving them credit to. To leave this clear France is bringing a roster better than most of the teams competing in the OWWC simply the remaining top teams ahead of them in this power ranking are coming strong too. This roster has a lot of LAN experience and three players that were previously champions in Contenders EU (Leaf, Hqrdest & HyP), they also count with SoOn and Poko from OWL and two Contenders players (Chubz and FDGoD). They are in Group A with USA and South Korea so its not looking bright for them right now.

#8 Team Sweden

Three OWL players and 4 Contenders players & Coach

In three editions of the OWWC, Sweden reached the semi-finals twice, and got the bronze medal two times. After South Korea and Canada, they are actually the most successful team in the history of the competition. Their dominance came down in 2018 where they did not qualify for Blizzcon after a bad campaign in the group stage (they did put Denmark out of the OWWC in the last match of the group stage by beating them 3–2 which is fun if you think about their rivalry.) This time around I believe their roster is more serious. They are bringing a super frontline with ELLIVOTE and LullSiSH, their support duo is known by most Europeans and Erki and Rat are also solid choices for the DPS role. They are joined by snillo an astonishing player that recently won the Atlantic Showdown.

#7 Team Denmark

Two OWL players and five Contenders players & Coach

If Denmark gets the funds to travel to the OWWC they will qualify for the final stage. Just look at how they did in 2018 where they beat Australia and were close to beating China. Denmark 2019 got a big improvement not only with the new players joining the roster (Henningsen, Molf1g, Scaler) but also the players that played in previous editions are much stronger than they were 1 year ago, respectively Fischer and Naga. Kellex and Shax bring OWL experience to the roster and they also count with a Contenders coach (khave). Seriously, I hope they get the funds to make it.

#6 Team Finland

Three OWL players & Coach and four Contenders players

2018 Finland is the team that was the closest to beat South Korea in the history of the world cups. After 4 maps both teams were 2–2 which brought them to a Nepal decider that finished 1–2 for the Korean side. The team qualified comfortably in the group stage and they were expected to make the semi-finals (notice China was not much valorised back then). But then it happened, China swept the Finns and the rest is history. This time around Finland is bringing some very needed refreshment to its roster by adding Masaa, Ricky, LhCloudy and rCk, together they join the veterans Shaz, Davin and Zappis. They are coached by Seita undoubtedly one of the brightest minds in the game.

#5 Team United Kingdom

Five OWL players and coach & two Contenders players

In 2018 the UK beat the USA comfortably in the quarter finals and managed to draw 2 maps against South Korea in the semi-finals. This year they are bringing almost the same roster with some improvements and additions like FunnyAstro Two-way player for the Atlanta Reign that won Contenders NA East and the change of KSP from sub to main player. On top of that the country also has a top coach with them (Hayes). Realistically the Brtish team will be fighting for the top spots although they lack a full OWL roster like the remaining 4 teams in this ranking.

#4 Team Canada

Six OWL players and coach & One Contenders player

Canada is the only team in the world that is repeating the exact same roster as last year, the reason why is simple, in the past two OWWC they won 11 games and lost only 2 reaching the final in 2017 and semi-final in 2018. It is also safe to say that, individually, every player from the roster improved, the only concern could be xQc that was inactive from competitive OW for some time. I am expecting them to compete for the title once again this year.

#3 Team USA

Seven OWL players and coach

(At the time this article was written Team USA did not announce the top 7, still we can assume that in a top 12 where all players are from OWL the final roster will be quite capable of achieving a top 3 finish)

The USA will come stronger after last year’s disappointment. Without taking the credit from Team UK amazing win but clearly the Americans did not prepare enough for the British in determent of preparing the semi-final against the Koreans. This time the USA joins China and South Korea in being the only 3 teams that bring a full roster of active players from OWL, as well as a coach. If they give more attention to this competition this time, they will be strong contenders to win the tournament.

#2 Team China

Seven OWL players and coach

China was not able to bring their best players in 2017 due to visa issues but in 2018 they got a chance to participate in full strength. They went 5–0 in the qualifier beating the likes of Sweden, Australia, Spain, Denmark and Thailand. At Blizzcon they beat Finland 3–0 which by then was actually considered a big upset, after they beat Canada in semi-finals (2017 second place) and only South Korea put an end to their run. This year they are coming with a roster full of OWL players, and they also have an OWL Coach. If you want to cheer for a team to beat Korea this is your team.

#1 Team South Korea

Seven OWL players and coach

If you are looking forward to see a different champion this year, I have bad news for you. South Korea won the last three OWWC editions. Their record is 21 wins in 21 games both in qualifiers and main event. On top of that South Korea is bringing their best roster ever to 2019. The team is made with players from top 6 teams in OWL with the exception of carpe that is still one of the best players in league. It would take a major upset to bring down the best overwatch nation in the world and I simply do not see it coming.

And thats it, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. These power rankings were based in my scouting, they can be changed if I find it appropriate in the future days. Also, I will do a new version close to Blizzcon when we find exactly who is going.