The first details about the 2021 Mario Kart World Cup have been revealed, including a return to Mario Kart 8.
Photo credit: Mario Kart 8/IGDB
EndGameTV announced on 21 March that the Mario Kart World Cup will return in 2021. The reveal, which involved EndGame uploading a trailer for the event to their YouTube channel, included the news that both Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart World Tour will make up a part of the competition, alongside the mainstay of Mario Kart Wii.
Set to take place from 19 June to 11 July, the 2021 World Cup will feature teams of the best Mario Kart players in the world. Each team of five drivers is based on their nation or region, depending on the size of the playerbase in different parts of the world. Teams then go up against each other in head-to-head matches. Each match consists of twelve races, at the end of which the team with the most points accrued from the races takes the victory.
Reigning Champions
Last year’s tournament saw the USA East team beating out the UK outfit in the final, taking the best of three series with a 2–0 win after a last gasp comeback in the second match. Other notable matches include the UK versus Germany, in which the German team fell just short of clinching victory in their group D battle, despite an impressive comeback attempt.
Mario Kart’s biggest event returns this summer. And it’s bigger than ever. #MKWC
— EndGameTV (@EndGame_TV) March 21, 2021
🏁 June 19–July 11
🌎 https://t.co/FFtCXT1A4L pic.twitter.com/QgEIL980Xp
The return of Mario Kart 8 as well as the arrival of World Tour is likely to shake up the competition somewhat. The most recent Mario Kart 8 World Cup, which took place in 2019, saw Japan taking the overall victory, defeating the French squad in the final.
In an interview with OverTake in 2020, caster and organiser Erik ‘Eirik’ Jacome suggested that Nintendo would be more willing to encourage the tournament if used the newer versions of the game. As such, the shift towards including Mario Kart 8 and World Tour may have been implemented with this in mind.
More details are yet to be revealed, but EndGameTV plans to reveal the teams, schedule, event format and any other important details “soon”.
Who are your favourites for the 2021 Mario Kart World Cup? Tell us on Twitter at @OverTake_gg or in the comments down below!
