EVENT OVERVIEW

What is the World Cosplay Championship?

The World Cosplay Championship is a competition where cosplayers perform on stage to determine the No.1 cosplayer in the world. Teams that win the official preliminaries hosted by WCS partner organizers in each country/region advance to the finals in Nagoya. These representative cosplayers often appear as guests at pop culture events or are featured in the media, making participation in the WCS finals a gateway to success. These representatives are called “WCS Alumni” and often stay involved in WCS-related events even after their participation.

Venue

Aichi Arts Center

Date & Time

Sunday, August 3, 2025 – Starts at 14:30 (Scheduled)

Participating Countries/Regions

42 countries/regions

Australia / Austria / Belgium / Brazil / Bulgaria / Canada / China / Colombia / Costa Rica / Czech Republic / Egypt / Finland / France / Germany / India / Indonesia / Italy / Japan / Korea / Latvia / Malaysia / Mexico / Mongolia / South Africa / Netherlands / Philippines / Portugal / Saudi Arabia / Spain / Sweden / Switzerland / Taiwan / Thailand / United Arab Emirates / United Kingdom / United States / Vietnam / Bolivia / Morocco / Poland / Peru / Kuwait

Live Streaming (Planned)

YouTube / Facebook / Twitch / X / niconico

Tickets

Scheduled to go on sale in early June

Special Live

OxT

Oishi Masayoshi × Tom-H@ck
Formed in 2015.
Oishi Masayoshi is a multi-talented anime song singer, known for the hit song “Welcome to Japari Park,” and is also active as an MC and actor. Tom-H@ck is a renowned sound creator, known for anime hits like *K-On!*, producing music for artists such as T.M.Revolution, LiSA, and Momoiro Clover Z, as well as music for films and anime. Together they form a powerful digital rock unit.

Judges

Venue Address

1-13-2 Higashi-sakura, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi 461-8525, Japan

Access

Subway

• Higashiyama Line: Get off at Sakae Station, approx. 5-minute walk
• Meijo Line: Get off at Sakae Station, approx. 5-minute walk

Bus

• Nagoya City Bus: Get off at Sakae Bus Terminal, approx. 5-minute walk

From Tokyo (Shinkansen)

• About 1 hour 40 minutes from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station via Tokaido Shinkansen.
• Take the Higashiyama Subway Line from Nagoya Station and get off at Sakae Station. Approx. 5-minute walk.

From Osaka (Shinkansen)

• About 50 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station to Nagoya Station via Tokaido Shinkansen.
• Take the Higashiyama Subway Line from Nagoya Station and get off at Sakae Station. Approx. 5-minute walk.

Google Maps

Basic Rules

• Costumes must be handmade
• Eligible works: Japanese manga, anime, games, and tokusatsu characters
• Stage performance time: 2 minutes 30 seconds
• Background screen usage allowed for performance
• Ranking is determined by total score from character evaluation and stage performance

How to Participate in the World Cosplay Championship

To represent your country/region in Nagoya, Japan, you must win a preliminary round held by official WCS partner organizers. Those who wish to participate should enter the “Representative Selection” held in each country/region. Please check the schedule for national and regional preliminaries from the “Preliminary Schedule.”

Participation Requirements

① Each team consists of 2 cosplayers
② Must generally hold nationality of the country/region they represent
③ Must be 18 years or older
④ Must be able to stay in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan during the WCS period
⑤ Must choose a Japanese manga, anime, game, or tokusatsu title, and both team members must cosplay characters from the same title
⑥ Costumes for the finals must be handmade by the contestants themselves (in principle)
※ Participation requirements and rules may vary depending on the country/region’s preliminary organizer.