EPCOT‘s 50th anniversary is coming up on October 1, 2032, and if Disney wants to make the milestone truly special, the time to announce a major addition may be sooner than many fans expect.
This year’s D23 Fan Expo would be the perfect opportunity for Disney to reveal plans for a new World Showcase pavilion, giving Walt Disney Imagineering enough time to design and build the project in time for EPCOT’s golden anniversary.
While Disney will likely celebrate the occasion with special merchandise, food, and entertainment, my biggest hope is that the 50th anniversary brings something fans have been waiting decades for: a brand-new country in World Showcase.
Many fans don’t realize that World Showcase still has room to expand, yet the last permanent addition was Norway in 1988. By EPCOT’s 50th anniversary, it will have been 44 years since a new country joined the lineup.
It feels like the perfect time for World Showcase to grow again.
There are several countries that could make a great addition, but three stand out: Brazil, Greece, and Australia.
Brazil
Brazil would bring vibrant architecture, incredible food, and the colorful energy of Carnaval to EPCOT. The biggest challenge is that there is not an obvious Disney film connection tied to the country, which could make it harder to sell internally in an era where Disney often looks for ways to incorporate its intellectual property.
Greece
Greece feels like a natural fit, offering incredible food, stunning architecture inspired by places like Santorini, and an easy connection to Hercules. A Greek pavilion could provide a beautiful mix of mythology, history, and coastal scenery.
The challenge is that World Showcase already features five European countries: the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Germany, and Italy. While Greece would be a fantastic addition, EPCOT’s World Showcase is meant to represent the world, not become the European Showcase. Adding another European nation could make the lineup feel less balanced when there are still so many other regions that could be represented.
Australia
Australia would add a completely different visual identity to EPCOT, with possibilities ranging from the Outback’s red rock landscapes to coastal areas inspired by Sydney or the Gold Coast. It could even provide a more fitting home for Bluey at Walt Disney World.
The challenge would be deciding what part of Australia to highlight. The Outback is iconic, but Bluey is based in Brisbane, and a Sydney-inspired pavilion could risk feeling more like a city showcase than a full representation of the country. Still, those are exactly the kinds of creative challenges Walt Disney Imagineering could solve.
