The 13th YOC will begin its Preliminary Tournaments on the 4th of August and YGO Online International will do its best to be there to cover the entire competition from start to finish. with the first preliminaries now only two days away, let’s see which nations have the best chance of producing that rarest of duelists, a world champion.

Japan (6-time World Champions)

Japan has had a champion duelist more times than anyone else, six times in all. Japanese duelists also tend to dominate the last 16 of the world championships in large numbers. Therefore, the spot of favourites can only go to the number one ranked nation in the world. At the end of the day, the odds favour a Japanese duelist winning the tournament.

Odds 3/1

Germany (4-time World Champions)

The other great dueling nation has had four championship winning duelists in the past, including Season 9/Summer 2009 champion xXSuperstarXx. However, with so many German duelists now dueling under the flag of Seychelles, Germany’s chance for a second consecutive title may be weaker than usual.

Odds 5/1

United States (2-time World Champions)

Season 8 saw America’s dubious win in Season 6 (by a Japanese duelist under the American flag) wiped away when EricGT took the title of champion, the Unted States’ second overall. But the game in the states is becoming stagnant in a lot of ways and is even retracting in others. The U.S. can win, but it’ll be harder now than at most time in the past.

Odds 9/1

Dark Horses
Looking for another nation to break the monotony of the big three? Here are YGO Online Internationals picks for those looking for an upset.

Seychelles With international ringers batting up for the tiny island nation, Seychelles may go further than having a finalist, as they did in Season 9’s championship. Odds 14/1

Korea Despite being a powerhouse, Korea has traditionally fared badly on the world championship scale. This season should prove no different but the quality is there for an upset. Odds 18/1

Denmark The Danes have had solid representation with duelists making the last eight twice in the last two championships. Further glory, however, is likely beyond their grasp. Odds 25/1

Italy Even though it is a strong dueling nation, Italy’s championship record is pretty abysmal. There is little to suggest things will change this time around. Odds 35/1

United Kingdom The U.K.’s position in Yu-Gi-Oh! Online is weakening, not being secured. A severe lack of recent glories on the tournament stage seem to suggest more disappointment in that regard. Odds 38/1

France Much like Italy, France holds a very patchy record on the tournament stage and so any entry beyond the last 16 would be a major upset for the country. Odds 38/1

Spain Spain’s inability to make major inroads towards a world championship is likely to continue with the declining interest in the game worldwide hurting nations like Spain rather than helping it. Odds 40/1

Canada This is actually probably Canada’s best chance in a while at capturing the world title, depending on who enters. But even that best chance would need a lot of skill and luck to make the last 16. Odds 47/1

And the Rest?
What are the odds anyone else in the top 20 can claim the gold? All odds after this would be at 100/1 and higher.

Australia 48/1
Greece 50/1
Israel 55/1
Switzerland 57/1
Bulgaria 60/1
Luxembourg 60/1
Russia 63/1
Austria 70/1
Egypt 80/1