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 2
Show Starts: 3:30 PM
Aichi Arts Center Main Theater | Doors Open: 2:30 PM / Scheduled to End: 8:00 PM
Participating Countries/Regions
41 Countries and Regions
Australia / Austria / Belgium / Bolivia / Brazil / Bulgaria / Canada / China / Colombia / Costa Rica / Czech Republic / Ecuador / France / Hong Kong / India / Indonesia / Italy / Japan / South Korea / Kuwait / Latvia / Malaysia / Mexico / Mongolia / Morocco / Netherlands / Philippines / Peru / Poland / Portugal / Saudi Arabia / South Africa / Spain / Sweden / Switzerland / Taiwan / Thailand / Trinidad and Tobago / United Kingdom / United States / Vietnam
The United Arab Emirates will not participate this year due to unforeseen circumstances.
As no national qualifying event was held in Saudi Arabia for 2026, there will be no Saudi Arabian representative team introduced or competing this year. However, a special performance by former Saudi representatives will take place on the Championship Stage. This performance will not be subject to judging.
Tickets
Tickets are currently available as a bundle package, which includes a reserved seat admission ticket and exclusive official merchandise.
Click here for ticket information.
Special Live
JO☆STARS
Judges
Toshio Furukawa
Shoko Nakagawa
Kiyoshiro Sawamura II
Taro Maki
Yosuke Saito
Tomokazu Tashiro
WCC 2025 Grand Champions (USA)
Heidi & McKayla
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.