It featured 24 represented nations from around the world, with the final tournament taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center during BlizzCon from November 2–3, 2018.

Each country has a National Competition Committee, consisting of a general manager, head coach, and community lead.

The four host countries, South Korea, Thailand, France, and the United States, automatically qualified.

The top two teams in each group advanced to a single-elimination playoff bracket, with the matches played in Anaheim.

[12] To coincide with the event, Blizzard launched the "Overwatch World Cup Viewer," a standalone program that allows users to view World Cup matches in real time in Overwatch's spectator mode, roam around the map in a free camera, and take the perspectives of the players.