Last year, we debuted the Overwatch World Cup to incredible participation. Players from around the world cast over 3 million votes to help select their national rosters, competitors hailing from more than 50 countries clashed in online regional qualifiers, and a global audience watched as South Korea became the world champion and Winston prodigy Miro was named the tournament MVP.

We're excited to bring the Overwatch World Cup back in 2017, and this year's exhibition will incorporate more countries, more games, and more live events. The celebration begins this month, and whether you're looking to compete or just want to show your support, we need heroes like you to get involved. Here's how.

We believe the Overwatch World Cup is at its best when it brings players from all over the world together, so this year we've expanded the competition so that teams from more countries can participate.

Starting today, we will begin tracking the skill ratings of the top 100 players from every country to determine each country’s average rating. Then, in April, we’ll use those average ratings to identify which 32 countries from around the world have the most skilled players. These countries will move on to our live qualifiers (detailed below) where they will battle in groups of eight for a chance to compete on the BlizzCon 2017 stage.

That means if you're one of the top players in an eligible country, you can help your nation secure a spot in this year's tournament by bringing your best to Competitive Play.

You're powered up, heroes—so get in there!

Once the Top 32 countries are identified, players from those countries will need to work together to assemble their 2017 Overwatch World Cup National Committee. Each national committee will consist of three local experts, who will be charged with recommending roster picks for all stages of the competition—including the BlizzCon finals! These committees have a key role to play in team selection, suggesting line-ups based on players’ synergies, hero pools, and past game performances.

The selection process for each national committee which consist of two phases. First, we will select up to ten nominees per eligible country with expertise in the field, including analysts, coaches, statisticians, and other authorities in the Overwatch esports community. From there, players in each of those countries will vote for who they want to see selecting the roster for their nation.

Voting will begin in April shortly after the Top 32 countries are locked in, and only eligible players in each country will be able to participate. Stay tuned for more information!

This year, we're also amping up the competition by offering live qualifiers around the world!

You don't need to make it to California to catch Overwatch World Cup matches. Instead, a series of four live group stage events are slated to take place this summer across Europe, North America, and Asia—featuring the Top 32 countries you helped select. Each group stage event will see eight national teams going head-to-head for a full week, with the top two finishers automatically qualifying for the Overwatch World Cup finals at BlizzCon 2017. You can watch these scheduled matches online for free, and a limited number of tickets will also be on sale starting in May so that you can cheer on your favorite teams in person.

It’s important to note that the group stage events may not include teams from that region, and the competition committees will have the option of adjusting rosters between events.

Stay tuned for more details on the 2017 Overwatch World Cup, and be prepared to join us as we celebrate the spirit of competition with the Overwatch community around the world. You can get involved today by winning Competitive Play games and improving your nation’s status in the global Overwatch community. Then, join us as we unveil the Top 32 countries, the national committees who will be selecting their rosters, and—as we approach each group stage event—the rosters themselves.

Play Overwatch, and play your part in the 2017 Overwatch World Cup!

Unless otherwise explicitly stated, all information, including forward-looking information, are current as of March 29, 2017 only. Blizzard and Activision Blizzard undertake no duty to update or revise any forward-looking information contained herein. For more detailed information, please refer to Activision Blizzard’s reports and filings with the SEC.