EVENT OVERVIEW

Venue

Sakae, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Aichi Arts Center (Grand Hall)

Event Dates

August 3rd (Sat) 2024 16:00 OPEN – 20:30 CLOSE

*Schedule may change without notice.

TICKET

To watch the World Cosplay Championship at the venue, you need to purchase a merchandise exchange ticket (reserved seat ticket).
Please make sure to purchase a merchandise exchange ticket (reserved seat ticket) if you wish to watch the championship in the theater.
※ This is unrelated to the cosplay participation ticket or the photography participation ticket.

Participating Countries & Regions

Australia / Austria / Belgium / Brazil / Bulgaria / Canada / Finland / France / Germany / India / Indonesia / Italy / Japan / Korea / Mexico / Netherlands / Saudi Arabia / South Africa / Spain / Sweden / Switzerland / Taiwan / Thailand / United Kingdom / United States / Vietnam / China / Latvia / Philippines / Portugal / UAE / Malaysia / Egypt
New Participants
Czech Republic / Costa Rica / Mongolia

※36 countries and regions

Broadcasting

YouTube / Facebook / Twitch / X

Address

〒461-8525 Nagoya City, Higashi Ward, Higashi Sakura 1 Chome 13-2

Transportation Access

Subway

• Higashiyama Line: Get off at Sakae Station, about a 5-minute walk
• Meijo Line: Get off at Sakae Station, about a 5-minute walk

Bus

• Nagoya City Bus: Get off at Sakae Bus Terminal, about a 5-minute walk

From Tokyo (Shinkansen)

• About 1 hour and 40 minutes from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station via the Tokaido Shinkansen.
• From Nagoya Station, take the Higashiyama Line subway and get off at Sakae Station. It takes about 5 minutes on foot.

From Osaka (Shinkansen)

• About 50 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station to Nagoya Station via the Tokaido Shinkansen.
• From Nagoya Station, take the Higashiyama Line subway and get off at Sakae Station. It takes about 5 minutes on foot.

Google map

What is the World Cosplay Championship?

It’s a competition where cosplayers showcase their performances to determine the world’s No.1 cosplayer. Teams that win the official qualifiers held by organizers in various countries and regions partnered with WCS advance to the finals in Nagoya. The representative cosplayers from each country and region often participate as guests in various pop culture events and are featured in the media, making the WCS finals a gateway for cosplayers. These representatives are called “WCS Alumni” and often continue to engage with WCS-related events even after their participation.

Basic Rules

• Costumes must be handmade
• The subject is characters from Japanese manga, anime, games, and tokusatsu
• Stage performance time is 2 minutes and 30 seconds
• Use of a background screen for performance is allowed
• Ranking is determined by the sum of character and stage performance evaluations

How to participate in the “World Cosplay Championship” as a competitor?

To visit Nagoya, Japan, as a representative player, you must win the qualifiers held by organizers in various countries and regions that have partnered with WCS. If you wish to participate, please enter and compete in the “Representative Selection” held in your country or region. Please check the “Representative Selection Schedule” on this page for the schedule of selection events held in each country and region.

Participation Requirements

① Representative cosplayers from each country and region form pairs of 2
② In principle, participants must have the nationality of the country or region they represent
③ Must be 18 years of age or older
④ Must be able to stay in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan (in principle) during the WCS period
⑤ Must handle Japanese manga, anime, game, or tokusatsu works, and both team members must portray characters from the same work
⑥ The cosplay costume worn during the main competition must be handmade by the players themselves ※ Participation requirements and rules may vary by the representative selection event in each country and region.