In 2013, Vietnam and the Philippines joined as observer nations, bringing the overall total to 24. The event was held with the help of local and international volunteers since 2009; however, video game costumes this year saw the beginning of the Omotenashi (Hospitality) student volunteer group. Only 16 teams can advance to the final and compete against the 8 previous teams who have previously qualified for the final, a total of 24 teams in the World Cosplay Championship.This was the first year of the WCS was broadcast live on YouTube, But Tokyo Round And Nagoya Round Only.
