An image processing apparatus that generates a virtual viewpoint image based on one or more captured images out of a plurality of captured images by a plurality of cameras, the apparatus comprising an acquisition unit configured to acquire virtual viewpoint information including information related to a position and a direction of a virtual viewpoint, a determination unit configured to determine whether occlusion is occurring in at least one image captured by at least one of the cameras, a decision unit configured to, based on a position and direction of the virtual viewpoint and on a result of the occlusion determination in relation to the at least one image, decide one or more captured images to be used for generation of a virtual viewpoint image, and a generation unit configured to generate a virtual viewpoint image using the decided one or more captured images.