The 2023 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe European Championship is here!

Start your engines, because this is your chance at Mario Kart 8 Deluxe immortality! The first-ever Mario Kart 8 Deluxe European Championship is here to find Europe’s best racers, with the third and final online qualifier happening this Sunday, September 17th.

Over the course of three online qualifying events, the top 24 players from Europe – eight from each round – will earn their spot at an in-person grand final in October, where Europe’s first Mario Kart 8 Deluxe champion will be crowned!

The three online qualifying rounds will run during these times:

Qualifier #1: Saturday August 19th

15:00 – 19:00 (UK time)

Qualifier #2: Friday September 8th

16:00 – 20:00 (UK time)

Qualifier #3: Sunday September 17th

14:00 – 18:00 (UK time)

Reckon you’re ready to race for glory? Then get involved in the qualifiers! European players with an active Nintendo Switch Online membership and a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe can take part during any of the active periods in the following way:

• Choose Online Play from the game's main menu
• Select the Tournament option, then Search Using a Code
• Input the relevant Tournament code shared below:

Tournament Codes

• 2023 EU Qualifier #1: 0980-1145-8091
• 2023 EU Qualifier #2: 3959-7481-4251
• 2023 EU Qualifier #3: 3626-8881-7707

In each of the qualifiers, racers will earn points based on their finishing position in races. When the dust settles, each tournament’s eight top-scoring players will qualify for the in-person grand finals!

The grand finals themselves will be held at the Nintendo European Championships, a combined event featuring both the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 3 European Championship finals. The event takes place on Saturday October 7th and Sunday October 8th at VILCO in Bad Vilbel, part of the Frankfurt am Main region in Germany. Spectator tickets for both days will be made available in the future, so stay tuned for your opportunity to attend even if you don't qualify!

As well as a trophy for their hard-earned victory, the overall winner of the tournament will also get to represent Europe in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe World Championship 2024! This new tournament, showcasing the best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe players from around the world, will take place at Nintendo Live 2024 in Toyko, Japan next January.

Want to watch all the action from the Nintendo European Championships, but can't make it to the event? Don't worry – the whole thing will be streamed live on our official YouTube channel, so you won't miss a minute of it! Follow the official Mario Kart Facebook page for more details about this livestream in the future.

Good luck to everyone taking part, and we’ll see you at the finish line!

For terms and conditions regarding participation in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe European Championship, please click here (PDF, 179 kB) .