The Mario Kart World Cup kicks off today, featuring teams from 10 nations competing in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch, as well as Mario Kart Wii, a 2008 classic that remains a touchstone for the Mario Kart competitive scene. Both games feature twelve-player races, so each nation will put forward its six best players to compete for the highest score.
The Mario Kart World Cup does not have official Nintendo backing; itās a fan-run event currently spearheaded by users from a Mario Kart fan forum called MKBoards. The first Mario Kart World Cup event took place in 2013 and featured Mario Kart 7. Jake Stevens, one of the tournamentās organizers in 2015, told Nintendo Life that the success of the 2013 World Cup led to the foundation of the MKBoards, current organizers of the World Cup and mainstay of the Mario Kart competitive scene.
Both the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart Wii competitions begin today. The Mario Kart Wii tournament starts at 2 pm ET with a match between Germany and Beneluxās teams on the MKBoardsā Twitch channel. Then, at 3 pm ET, Germanyās Mario Kart 8 Deluxe team will step up to the plate to face off against Spain.
Hereās the full schedule for the Mario Kart Wii races and the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe races unfolding in the next month. For more details about each of the teamās competitors, as well as the organization of the tournament, check out this guide
