Raven and LaLa Ri Lead a Global Cast in 'Drag Race Down Under vs. the World'

The "vs. the World" format has already conquered the UK and Canada. Now it's touching down in the Southern Hemisphere — and it's brought some very familiar faces with it.

Drag Race Down Under vs. the World lands July 24 on Stan in Australia and on WOW Presents Plus everywhere else (yes, that includes you, stateside fans). As Variety reports, eleven queens representing six countries will compete across eight episodes for the title of Queen of the Mother Tucking World. Michelle Visage hosts, with returning judge Rhys Nicholson and Down Under season four winner Lazy Susan rounding out the panel.

The format gets a slight shake-up from the standard Down Under structure: the top two queens each week pick which of the bottom two goes home, settling it with a lip-sync battle before the winner makes the final call. Classic lip-sync-for-your-life stakes, but the power sits with the queens, not the judges.

The Queens You Already Know

For US fans, three names jump out immediately.

Raven — the makeup artist who's shared RuPaul's face for years and took home a Primetime Emmy for it — is returning to competition for the first time in 14 years, having placed runner-up on both RPDR season 2 and the original All Stars. That's a long wait for a rematch.

LaLa Ri (season 13, All Stars 8) is back after a retirement she apparently couldn't stick to — and honestly, good, because she never quite got her flowers the first two times around, and a whole new continent feels like the place to fix that. Estrella Xtravaganza, the beloved non-binary runner-up from Drag Race España season 2, rounds out the names that US fans have been loudly campaigning for since their original seasons aired.

Nicole Paige Brooks — a season 2 original and All Stars 10 veteran — also makes the cast, making this an unexpectedly loaded American contingent.

The Down Under Contingent

Five queens carry the Down Under banner, which spans both Australia and New Zealand. Art Simone, the Melbourne performer who finished runner-up on the inaugural Down Under season, brings obvious frontrunner energy — she's since become one of Australia's most recognizable drag exports. Sydney's Vybe returns from season four, joined by Auckland's Nikita Iman flying the flag for New Zealand. Coffs Harbour's Coco Jumbo rounds out the Australian side, while Flor — a Guatemalan-born queen who competed for New Zealand before relocating to Birmingham — comes in as the roster's most well-traveled Down Under alum.

The International Wild Cards

M1ss Jade So from Drag Race Philippines season 2 and UK runner-up Michael Marouli (Drag Race UK series 5) complete the cast — both with serious competition records and plenty of unfinished business.

The whole thing was filmed in Lisbon last October, which adds a pleasingly cinematic backdrop to a season that's already stacked on paper. Whether the Down Under queens can hold their turf against a genuinely international pack — including one of the most decorated queens the franchise has ever produced — is the question that's going to make this essential viewing.

How to watch: US fans can stream on WOW Presents Plus, with new episodes dropping weekly from July 24.