Almost five years in the making, the followup to Canon’s 7D still hasn’t become more than a rumor, making many wonder if a Mark II (or any new APS-C flagship) will ever arrive. Well, according to Canon Watch, the answer to that question is yes. And the answer to the following question ‘when?’ is Photokina, with some potential appearances at this year’s FIFA World Cup.

A source that Canon Watch describes as “known to me” has come forward to tell them that prototypes of the 7D replacement, which might actually sport an all-new naming scheme that does away with the 7D line, are going to be out in the wild at the World Cup, with an official announcement following a few months later in September.

The source also confirmed previously-rumored ‘high level video features,’ and said it has taken Canon this long because the company wants to do justice to this pro-grade APS-C shooter.

To see a list of rumored specs for the 7D Mark II (or whatever it’s going to be called) check out our previous coverage. Hopefully more concrete info will start to surface now that the rumored announcement date is drawing, and people might actually be using this thing in the wild.

(via Canon Watch)