Yu-Gi-Oh! announces dates and location for 2023 World Championship
Separate paper TCG, Master Duel and Duel Links events will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in August.
Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG’s 2023 world championship will be held at the Tokyo International Exhibition Centre on August 5th and 6th, inviting the best players in three different formats to compete for a chance at top honours and bragging rights. This will be the first time the championship has been held in person since 2019.
Konami, the publisher of the popular trading card game, recently released more details about the world championship event. Along with dates and a location at Tokyo Big Sight, the company confirmed that three separate events will be held for the traditional Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, along with digital adaptations Master Duel and Duel Links.
All players will be allowed to take part in world championship qualifying events in both Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel and Duel Links, and an undisclosed number of the top winners will earn in-person invites to the final championship. Master Duel has consistently retained a massive player base compared to past digital apps and sparked a surge of interest in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG in the wake of its release last year.
The first stage of Master Duel qualifiers will begin on May 16th at 12:00 (UTC+8), allowing players who use the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! Digital app to earn a spot in the regional qualifiers until May 29th. The regional qualifier round will begin on May 29th at 13:00 (UTC+8) and end on May 29th. Finalists will reportedly duke it out in Team Battle format, which pools all wins and losses across teams of three or five players.
Those looking to test their Duel Links mettle can begin battling up the first stage ladder on May 30th at 12:59 (UTC+8) until June 12th, while regional qualifiers will start on June 9th at 13:00 (UTC+8) and come to a close on June 12th.
All who manage to clinch a spot in the final qualification stage will be invited to one of two championships planned for this summer - one at the Jaarbeurs exhibition centre in Utrecht, Netherlands from June 30th through July 2nd, and another in the Oceania region that does not yet have confirmed dates or location. More information on the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2023 can be found on Konami’s official website.