The World of Warcraft 2016 Road to BlizzCon

April 20th by Blizzard Entertainment

The 2016 World of Warcraft Arena World Championship will soon be getting underway! With the recent announcement that the Legion expansion will launch starting on August 30, we wanted to provide more details to help European and North American teams who are looking to compete in this year’s Arena World Championship prepare for battle.

To kick things off, three qualifier cups will be held in both regions to decide the teams advancing to the Regional Championships. These cups will be played in the Warlords of Draenor expansion. After these qualifier cups are complete, we will transition to Legion for the American and European Regional Championships, as well as the World Championships at BlizzCon 2016.

Overview of Rules

As this year’s Road to BlizzCon spans two expansions, we are also making some changes to the rules for 2016.

  • Teams may once again have a 4-player roster.
  • Once a team has qualified for their Regionals, the team may make one roster swap of one player.
    • Only one roster swap is allowed, and it must be completed before the 03:00 CEST on September 15, 2016.
    • The roster swap is available to teams with either 3 or 4 players.
    • A 3-player team may use their roster swap to add a fourth person to their roster.
  • If a player on a 4-player team is unable to attend an in-person tournament, that team may continue as a 3-player team.
    • If the team still has their roster swap available, they may use it to add a new fourth player (up until the roster swap deadline).
    • If the team has already used their roster swap, they may not make further additions.
  • It is no longer necessary for all members of a 4-player team to have played in a tournament match in order for all 4 players to advance to Regionals.
  • There is no Arena rating requirement for entry in 2016.
  • The qualifier cups will each have a prize pool.
    • Teams may continue to play in future cups for their region once they have qualified for Regionals.

More details on eligibility, qualifier dates, and complete official rules will be coming soon!