The Arena World Championship is now underway!

Gather round and gear up, the Arena World Championship has officially kicked off in Season 1 of Midnight! The premiere PvP Program for WoW is now underway, with a loaded lineup of competitions for hopeful heroes around the world. Read on to find out what to expect and when to tune in as the gladiators embark on the road to BlizzCon!

Regional Cups

The Tournament starts with a series of weekly competitions called "Cups". Each Cup begins on Wednesday, with an Offline Bracket composed of registered teams from all over the region. Hopeful challengers face off in a double-elimination bracket, with the highest ranking teams from each week qualifying to compete live on broadcast in the Top 8 Tournament! The weekend is split into three days, with the first six European matches on Friday, the first six North American matches on Saturday, and the final matches for each region on Championship Sunday.

Each weekend brings something different, and winners are rewarded points based on their performance. Be sure to catch the action as champions are crowned and toppled each week, and find out which teams end up on top by the end of the stage!

The matches from each week's Top 8 Tournament will be streamed and broadcast live on the Warcraft Twitch and YouTube channels starting at 10:00 am PDT / 19:00 CEST each day:

• Cup 1 - April 10-12
• Cup 2 - April 17-19
• Cup 3 - May 1-3

Interested in co-streaming AWC? Submit this form to host a watch party for AWC or MDI in Midnight.

Season 1 Regional Finals

Once the Cups have concluded, each team's points are tallied to bring forth the best of the best in the next stage: the Regional Finals. A total of four spots are available in this intensified invitational - three spots are automatically awarded to the top three ranking teams from each region based on Cups points performance, and one spot is left up for grabs in a grueling final gauntlet of games.

The Gauntlet itself is the last opportunity for gladiators to grasp glory and remain in the competition. In this stage of the Tournament, the teams with Cups points rankings 4th through 8th enter a single-elimination bracket, where they face off against the teams seeded directly above them, one by one. Unlikely champions might remain yet, as even the greatest underdogs have the opportunity to rise above their opponents to stay in the game by securing the last spot in their region's finals!

Finally, the four fiercest teams from each respective region will compete in the first finals of the season. The Regional Finals pit teams from around the globe against one another on elevated stages across Europe, North America, and China as they compete to be crowned local legends and qualify for the next round.

The broadcast will be streamed live from June 5-7, starting at 10:00 PDT / 19:00 CEST. Follow along from home by watching on the Warcraft Twitch and YouTube Channels!

Cross-Region Playoff

The foremost fighters from each region's field will earn a spot to compete in the most elite level of the Tournament yet - securing a coveted spot in the competition's culmination live at BlizzCon! Two spots will be awarded to the two highest-placing teams from Europe and North America, while one spot will be awarded to the top team from the recently re-emerging region of China. A sixth and final spot at BlizzCon remains up for grabs, and a Cross-Region Playoff Match will be hosted to determine which team of regional runner-ups is worthy of competing at the highest stage.

In this playoff match, the third-place teams from Europe and North America will face off in an improvised best-of-7 series, with games played on both "Home" and "Away" servers. The team that emerges victorious will earn its invitation to compete in the Global Grand Finals at BlizzCon!

BlizzCon Grand Finals

Once the greatest gladiators have been gleaned from across the globe, they'll be brought together for the most epic showdown yet - live from BlizzCon in Anaheim, California! The AWC Grand Finals will bring together the world's most worthy warriors in an action-packed and adrenaline-fueled weekend at the renowned convention as they compete for the title of World Champions and their share of the $300,000 BlizzCon prize pool.

The Tournament will take place live at BlizzCon from September 12 to September 13, starting at 10:00 am PDT / 19:00 CEST. Purchase your pass now to catch the action in-person at BlizzCon, or tune in from home on the Warcraft Twitch and YouTube channels!

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Stay Connected

Interested in learning more about the road to BlizzCon? Check out the full announcement blog here: blizz.ly/3OJI2Us

Keep up with the latest news, trailers, and more by following WoW Esports across multiple platforms: https://linktr.ee/WoWEsports