About

What are the key dates?

The event will take place from July 4 to September 25, 2022.

Who will be competing?

56 teams representing countries and regions from all over the world will be represented on the 2022 World Cup of VGC. You can check all teams and their players here.

Where can I watch?

Every week of event, selected matches from different teams will be broadcasted on Victory Road’s Twitch channel. You may also find more matches and extra content on Victory Road’s YouTube channel.

What is the tournament structure & format?

1. Qualifier stage: teams will be allocated in 4 pots of 12 teams each based on their record in the 2021 World Cup. Then, they will be randomly drafted in groups of 4 teams each, with all groups having one team from each pot. All teams will play against all other teams in their group, with the best two per group advancing onto the Group Stage. Each match will last for a week from Monday to Sunday, and teams will face off in 8 vs 8 sets of best-of-three games.
2. Group stage: the 24 teams advancing from qualifiers and last year's Top 8 finishers will be again drafted into 3 pots and then will be allocated in 8 groups of 4 teams each. All teams will play against all other teams in their group, with the best two per group advancing onto Play-offs. Each match will last for a week from Monday to Sunday, and teams will face off in 8 vs 8 sets of best-of-three games.
3. Play-offs: the top 16 teams will be allocated in a single-Eelimination bracket based on their group stage results and will play until we crown a new winner. Each match will last for a week from Monday to Sunday, and teams will face off in 7 vs 7 sets of best-of-three games.

All players will compete using Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield for the Nintendo Switch system. All matches will be played using the VGC 2021 - Series 12 ruleset, the current format in play for all competitions. For more information on the ruleset, please read here.

Who is hosting this event?

Victory Road is hosting the World Cup of Pokémon VGC, proudly the world’s leading community for the game. For more information, please read here.

Who is sponsoring this event?

The event is sponsored by Elgato, Metafy and GGToor, leading brands on the gaming industry. They are kindly providing us with material and funding to make the event accessible for everyone worldwide, as well as this year's prizes.