BlizzCon 2026 Esports Update: Classic Cup Players Revealed!

BlizzCon 2026 is bringing an entire weekend of esports action to the Anaheim Convention Center, and we're excited to reveal some of the highly charged matchups you can expect at the show.

In March, we unveiled the full slate of esports programs coming to BlizzCon 2026, including the Overwatch World Cup^®, Hearthstone Masters Tour, World of Warcraft Arena World Championship (AWC) and Mythic Dungeon International (MDI), and the Blizzard Classic Cup. Now, we're revealing the players behind the Classic Cup Legacy Matches, along with details of how the rest of these competitions are taking shape as the best players from around the globe battle to claim their spots.

Blizzard Classic Cup: Legacy Match Players

The Blizzard Classic Cup is a cross-title celebration of the rivalries, personalities, and unforgettable moments that have helped shape Blizzard Esports. Across both days of BlizzCon, iconic competitors will return to the stage under the banners of Classic Cup captains Nick "Tasteless" Plott and Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski, competing for pride, legacy, and points toward the Classic Cup trophy.

Within the Classic Cup are a series of Legacy Matches, running back one high-stakes rivalry per title that left a lasting mark on Blizzard's competitive history.

StarCraft: Remastered Legacy Match: BoxeR vs. Nal_rA

The StarCraft: Remastered Legacy Match brings together two of the most iconic names in Brood War history: BoxeR and Nal_rA.

From 2003 to 2007, BoxeR and Nal_rA faced off 11 times in Premier competition, with Nal_rA claiming eight of those matchups. One of their most memorable meetings came during the 2003 Stout MSL, a tournament Nal_rA would go on to win, cementing his place among StarCraft's elite. Both players were later honored as part of the Korean esports Hall of Fame class of 2012.

BoxeR is widely regarded as one of the most influential esports athletes of all time. A champion of Starleague, World Cyber Games, and the KPGA Tour, he held the #1 world ranking from November 2001 through March 2003 and was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.

Nal_rA stands among the most decorated players in StarCraft history. The #1 Protoss player in the world for much of 2003 and 2004, he claimed championships across the KPGA Tour, MSL, OGN, and OSL.

StarCraft II Legacy Match: IdrA vs. MC

IdrA and MC shared one of StarCraft II's most heated rivalries during the early years of Wings of Liberty. They met at several major events in 2011 and 2012, with both players taking wins. And who can forget their clashes at MLG Columbus 2011?

IdrA was also a prolific Brood War player and became one of the most recognizable western competitors in StarCraft II. A champion of Intel Extreme Masters and Major League Gaming, he was at times considered by many to be the best "foreigner" in the world.

MC stands among the most decorated players of the Wings of Liberty era, with championships in the Global StarCraft League, HomeStory Cup, Intel Extreme Masters, and Blizzard's WCS Premier League.

Heroes of the Storm Legacy Match: Dignitas vs. Gen.G

Heroes of the Storm^® returns to the BlizzCon stage with a match that pays tribute to the last time the game appeared at BlizzCon: the 2018 Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Finals, where Gen.G defeated Dignitas to claim the title.

Representing Dignitas will be five players who have competed at BlizzCon before, including four members of the 2018 team:

• Bakery
• Jaeben
• JayPL
• Wubby
• POILK

Standing across from them is Gen.G, represented by an all-star lineup of Korean players who have all competed at past BlizzCons, including Kyocha from that title-winning Gen.G squad:

• Kyocha
• merryday
• Sign
• Dami
• Frankle

Warcraft III Legacy Match: ToD vs. TeD

ToD and TeD are two of Warcraft III's most decorated champions with eight Tier 1 titles between them from 2005-2012. ToD and TeD both arrive at the Classic Cup with strong 1v1 histories, highlighted by ToD's career accomplishments and TeD's 4-1-1 head-to-head record against ToD, including ESWC 2008 quarterfinals.

ToD is a Warcraft III champion across Intel Extreme Masters, CPL World Tour, World Esports Games, International Esports Festival, Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, and more. ToD also became an accomplished StarCraft II player and caster, calling some of the biggest games in SC2 esports history.

TeD brings a legacy of his own as a 1v1 champion of MCG and World Cyber Games, as well as a decorated 2v2 competitor with titles in the Golden Championship Series.

More to Come in the Classic Cup

These Legacy Matches are just a taste of what's in store with the Blizzard Classic Cup. We'll also be sharing more details on the Entertainment Matches as we get closer to the show, so stay tuned. Prior to BlizzCon, Tasteless and Artosis will draft the announced players to their respective teams, setting the stage for the Blizzard Classic Cup competition.

Overwatch World Cup

The Overwatch World Cup is heading toward its next major milestone, with the top 16 teams advancing to the Group Stage. This phase will also mark the first in-person competition of this year's Overwatch World Cup, bringing teams together live in Busan, South Korea, August 20-23. The top two teams from each group-forming the top 8 overall-will qualify for the finals taking place at BlizzCon 2026. Stay tuned for updates on our social channels.

The full list of teams is Australia (AUS); Canada (CAN); Colombia (COL); Denmark (DEN); France (FRA); Germany (GER); Great Britain (GBR); Japan (JPN); Mexico (MEX); Spain (ESP); Sweden (SWE); Thailand (THA); three-time silver medalists China (CHN); 2016, 2017, and 2018 Champions South Korea (KOR); 2019 Champions United States of America (USA); and 2023 Champions Saudi Arabia (KSA). Each of the top 16 teams will receive an exclusive Overwatch World Cup jersey design, so keep an eye on Overwatch Esports social channels for design reveals and limited-quantity drops.

Hearthstone Masters Tour

The Hearthstone Esports Road to BlizzCon is in full swing, with eight of the 16 World Championship spots already claimed. The field already includes 2024 World Champion mlYanming, 2021 Orgrimmar and 2022 Ruins of Alterac Champion Gaby59, 2021 Silvermoon Champion Jiuqianyu, 2026 Winter Champion Kwanwoo, and the winner of the Spring Championship, which concluded on June 7, Soyorin.

With eight spots still remaining, all eyes now turn to the Summer Season, where three more World Championship players will be decided July 31-August 2. Follow along to see who earns their place at BlizzCon, and if you've missed any of the action, catch up on the Spring Championship by watching the VOD.

For a full look at the 2026 Hearthstone Esports program, including the Competitive Seasons, Masters Tour Championships, qualification paths, and World Championship details, check out the Hearthstone Esports blog. Join the Hearthstone Esports Discord Server to get connected.

World of Warcraft Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International

The Road to BlizzCon is also heating up for World of Warcraft Esports. With the Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International Season 1 Finals now concluded, the top six AWC teams and top four MDI teams have qualified for BlizzCon 2026.

At BlizzCon, both programs will reach their 2026 Grand Finals, where teams will compete in intense single-elimination brackets for a combined $600,000 USD in prize money and their respective titles of World Champion.

At the Arena World Championship Grand Finals

From Europe, three different teams have dominated the season between Echo, StreamerzoneGG, and Guild Bean. Echo-which features two of the 2019 BlizzCon World Champions Whaazz and Raiku-have led the pack all season and come in as #1 seed from Europe. They're joined by Guild Bean-featuring 2019 runners up Maro, Zeepeye and Blizo-and newer roster StreamerzoneGG-featuring Next, Brunhity, Jaime, and Pmake.

Representing North America, Gators Back won the Season Finals to take the #1 seed. As 2025 defending champions, they've looked unstoppable this year, featuring a mix of BlizzCon veterans Kubzy and Wizk, and newer stars Kalvish and Dazed. However, arguably the biggest upset of finals took place with F Tier overcoming Welcome to the Jung and Dire Wolves to take the final BlizzCon spot from North America. This newer roster has become a fan favorite for playing unique compositions such as Elemental Shaman-Feral Druid-Mistweaver Monk all the way to the Finals.

In China, a return to AWC was marked by fierce competition that was ultimately won by One Lun Travel leading with the Rogue-Mage-Paladin composition. The Chinese region has always thrown an unpredictable threat into BlizzCon Finals, so it'll be great to see One Lun Travel face off against European and American teams for the first time in seven years.

At the Mythic Dungeon International Grand Finals

The MDI returned to its roots with the reintroduced speedrunning format in 2026, alongside a new spec variety rule which resulted in all 40/40 specializations represented through qualification. At the Season Finals, the all-star Mandatory roster-featuring 2019 BlizzCon Champions Gingi and Meeres-started strong claiming the first BlizzCon qualification spot against Team Liquid in the upper bracket. They were joined shortly after by the MDI 2025 defending champions Dignitas-Kira, Ayije, Hearthjacks, Verb, and Yarrgi.

However, in a deep run through the lower bracket, Team Liquid ensured North American representation as they marched all the way back to the Grand Final, defeating Mandatory in a rematch. Only Dignitas, who finished the weekend unbeaten, could end their run. Joining these teams, the impressive Chinese roster Big Lucky-featuring former Limit raider Shun-secured a top-4 finish, defeating BlizzCon hopefuls The Triple Threat to round out the teams moving on to Anaheim.

Catch up on the Season 1 Finals through the official VODs, and learn more about the full 2026 WoW Esports program in the World of Warcraft Esports blog.

Get Ready for BlizzCon 2026

We can't wait to see these showdowns unfold live on the BlizzCon stage September 12-13 at the Anaheim Convention Center. If you can't make it to the show in person, be sure to catch these legendary battles on the official BlizzCon livestream.