The Overwatch World Cup 2023 is the definition of a global event. Organized by the game’s developer Blizzard Entertainment, this annual tournament embraces the spirit of international competition by giving every participating country a shot at claiming the trophy. With that, fans get to cheer for their national teams while enjoying the benefits of quality Overwatch betting.
Of course, it can be challenging to navigate such a large-scale event. Fortunately, our esports experts have already mapped out the terrain to make this experience as seamless as possible. So, without further ado, here’s our in-depth Overwatch World Cup betting guide!
Best Overwatch World Cup Betting Sites
How to the Bet on the Overwatch World Cup
- It’s one thing to follow the Overwatch World Cup 2023 schedule casually, and it’s another to actually bet on the Overwatch World Cup. It’s without question that Overwatch betting sites will be offering markets for this event.
- If you’re going to do the latter, you’ll need a quality betting site so you take advantage of the most competitive Overwatch odds.
- We’ve already highlighted the best options at the beginning of this article, but what if you’re interested in taking a closer look at your options?
While the participating teams chase an Overwatch World Cup 2023 prize, here’s a bit more detail about the top esportsbooks you should be considering:
Best Welcome Bonus: Thunderpick
There’s nothing like a good welcome bonus and Thunderpick Esports is well aware of that. Thunderpick offers new customers up to €/$ 600 matched deposit bonus.
That’s right, you can get an ample boost to your first deposit, doubling your money.
Last but not least, Thunderpick is on point with its live esports coverage, so you can count on finding as many Overwatch World Cup betting markets on this platform as you want.
Most Well-Rounded: GG.Bet
Some gamblers are content jumping between platforms in an endless pursuit of the best odds and welcome offers. But what if you just want a solid Overwatch World Cup betting site? Enter GG.Bet Esports!
This operator took the esports gambling industry by storm with its wide esports coverage and varied betting markets. Combine that with a 100% match deposit bonus of up to €/$300 and competitive Overwatch World Cup odds, and it’s easy to see why GG.Bet is so highly regarded among esports bettors. In 2023, was the winner of the EGR Esports Operator Award by an expert EGR jury. So it’s no surprise that GG.Bet should be on your list of options.
Overwatch World Cup Teams and Format
Pretty much anyone can apply for their national team, and as long as they’re good enough, talented up-and-comers have a chance to represent their country alongside battle-hardened veterans. Combine that with exceptional commentators, ridiculous production values, and six-figure prize pools, and it’s easy to see why so many people watch and bet on the Overwatch World Cup.
The best way to approach the Overwatch World Cup is to view it as a three-part event. The three parts in question are preliminary rounds, group stages, and playoffs. Only 16 teams can reach the Playoffs part of the tournament. However, there are several different ways to get there.
Conferences: Regional Qualifiers
In this opening stage, there are three regions which will be hosting ‘Conferences’ which will allow only the best teams to qualify for the Group Stage of the Overwatch World Cup.
These events will be taking place online, between Jun. 23 and Jul. 2, with the following teams:
- Americas Conference – Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
- Europe and Middle East – Belgium, France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Norway, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, Finland, Iceland
- Pacific – Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand
Seeding from each Group of each Conference will be determined accordingly – only the very best make it to the Group Stage.
Group Stage
At this stage, a round-robin will take place, where each team plays one another once. Nations have been drawn into the following Groups:
- Group A: Finland, South Korea, Colombia, Mexico
- Group B: Australia, United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada
- Group C: Spain, Thiland, China, Hong Kong
- Group D: Japan, Saudi Arabia, United States, France
From here, only the top 8 move on to the next stage of the competition – Playoffs.
Overwatch World Cup Playoffs
Taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, USA, the top 8 teams compete in Playoffs between Nov. 3-4 in a single elimination bracket.
Overwatch World Cup 2023 Schedule
Overall, the schedule is as follows:
- Group Stage – October 29th to November 1st
- Playoffs – November 3-4th
Specifically, the schedule for the Playoffs is as follows:
Quarterfinals
- Nov. 3 – TBD vs TBD (17:30 CEST)
- Nov. 3 – TBD vs TBD (20:45 CEST)
- Nov. 3 – TBD vs TBD (23:15 CEST)
- Nov. 3 – TBD vs TBD (00:45 CEST)
Semifinals
- Nov. 4 – TBD vs TBD (17:30 CEST)
- Nov. 4 – TBD vs TBD (19:15 CEST)
Third Place Match
- Nov. 4 – TBD vs TBD (22:15 CEST)
Grand Final
- Nov. 5 – TBD vs TBD
Overwatch World Cup 2023 Betting Tips
- Anyone can read up on the tournament structure and create an account at a quality betting site.
- But the thing that separates the winners from the losers is what they choose to do next. Of course, we’re talking about a betting strategy!
- The Overwatch World Cup 2023 is a very volatile event, and you need to be smart about the way you gamble on it.
- If you succeed, you’ll be claiming your own Overwatch World Cup 2023 prize at the end of the tournament. With that in mind, here are 3 betting tips that will help you make the most out of this experience:
1. Research the Field
- Scouting is one of the most important parts of esports betting. It might be tempting to bet on the Overwatch World Cup outright, but a winning gambler never wants to take a chance on what’s essentially a glorified coin flip.
- Instead, take some time to research the field.
- Look through player histories on Liquipedia, analyze the Overwatch World Cup 2023 teams, search for power rankings on the competitive Overwatch subreddit and tune in to esports-focused podcasts like OverSight.
- Sure, it might feel tedious at first, but any research you do now will become a solid foundation for the bets you make in the future.
2. Control the Variance
- Let’s face it: the Overwatch World Cup 2023 schedule is quite busy and this is likely to be a very swingy tournament.
- Many teams have never played together on stage, so it’s almost inevitable that players will commit uncharacteristic mistakes.
- To make matters worse, most esportsbooks only allow gamblers to place match-winner bets on this tournament, meaning that you can’t turn to other markets to minimize the variance.
- But you can control how much you spend.
- Usually, you don’t want to put more than 5% of your total bankroll on a single wager.
- If you’re feeling really confident, you can bump that number up to 10%, but anything more than that, and you’ll be exposing yourself to unnecessary risks.
3. Review and Refine
- There’s a lot of trial and error in gambling.
- No strategy is perfect, and you can always refine some part of your gambling game. The best way to do so is by reviewing your betting history. Throughout the entire Overwatch World Cup 2023 schedule, study each bet as an isolated case and ask yourself whether its outcome surprised you and whether you could’ve done something differently.
- If the answer is yes, take that as a sign that you need to refine your Overwatch World Cup betting strategy.
- Remember, it’s easy to mess up when you’re starting out, but it’s the way you deal with these mistakes that will determine whether you can be successful in the long term.
- At the end of the day, if you do your research and bet intelligently, your Overwatch World Cup 2023 prize will fully justify the effort.
Image Credits: Activision Blizzard