Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament joins incredible World of Warcraft esports legacy

Esports fans rejoice! The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament will kick off this weekend. Here's what you need to know!

Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament joins incredible World of Warcraft esports legacy

The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament will feature the top eight teams from each bracket alongside a total prize pool of $100,000. Read on for where to watch and how it works. We also go over some fantastic accomplishments of 2022 World of Warcraft esports in 2022!

Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament

The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament will begin on Friday, November 11th with the European bracket first. The top eight teams from there will duke it out under the three-versus-three, best-of-seven and double-eliminate format.

The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament features a total prize pool of $100,000
The Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament features a total prize pool of $100,000. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.

On Saturday, the best of the best of the North American region will battle for the icy crown. Then, championship Sunday will showcase the semifinal matches right before the grand finals. Whichever teams take first place for their region will also receive the lion’s share of the $50,000 regional prize pool.

Here’s an overview of what’s a stake for these Wrath of the Lich King Classic fighters:

  • 1st place: $17,000
  • 2nd place: $12,000
  • 3rd place: $8,000
  • 4th place: $5,000
  • 5th/6th place: $2,500
  • 7th/8th place: $1,500
The broadcast talent for the Warcraft Classic esports event
The broadcast talent for the World of Warcraft Classic esports event. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.

World of Warcraft Classic esports: how it works and what to expect

Of course, the Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament will not be complete without the broadcast talent. These will be Elliott “Venruki” Venczel, Isaac “Azael” Cummings-Bentley, Mohammed “Ziqo” Beshir and Sid “Supatease” Compston.

As for where to watch all of the Warcraft esports action, it will be broadcast live on Blizzard’s official Twitch and YouTube channels on all three days. Each broadcast will begin at 10 a.m. PT each day as well.

The Undying Challenge showcased teams Progress and SPACEFORCE in Northrend dungeons, raids and a race through Naxxramas
The Undying Challenge showcased teams Progress and SPACEFORCE in Northrend dungeons, raids and a race through Naxxramas. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.

World of Warcraft esports in 2022

This year, the World of Warcraft esports scene saw some intense action. Whether it’s player-versus-player matches, a race for the best time or charity events, the hype was highlighted all over social media. Proud teams posted content to celebrate their success.

Team Echo, for example, won the World of Warcraft Race to World First Sepulcher of the First Ones earlier this year. After taking down the Jailer in only 277 pulls, Echo players cheered thunderously.

The guild not only jailed the Jailer himself, but also had a great time fighting the different bosses in the Shadowlands expansion. Echo’s xerwo complimented Blizzard’s developers on Twitter about the well-tuned bosses as well. Meanwhile, fellow competitors congratulated the guild on their major victory.

Echo and World of Warcraft esports

In addition to the Race to World First tournament, World of Warcraft esports had The Great Push Season 4 this year. Echo players also took that crown in the European final, further cementing their competitive skills in the game.

The Great Push involved pushing keys to the very limit and getting the best time possible for specific dungeons. Echo players then went on to win the The Great Push Season 4 Global Finals. The team’s victory at the Mythic Dungeon International also made Echo players the five-time champions of that tournament!

Artwork of the Jailer from the World of Warcraft Shadowlands expansion
Artwork of the Jailer from the World of Warcraft Shadowlands expansion. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.

Incredible gameplay from teams Kawhi and Kungarna

The World of Warcraft Arena World Championship Grand Finals also happened this year, with teams Kawhi and Kungarna taking home their respective regional crowns. While Kawhi faced Cloud9 in the finals and claimed victory in the Blade’s Edge Arena map, Kungarna had an incredible lower-bracket sweep in the European region,

Kungarna duked it out against Casual Dads and won 3-0, then CGN Esports and had a score of 3-0 once again. When Kungarna players advanced to the finals against SK Gaming, the team went 4-0 and climbed their way to the very top!

Arena World Championship medals
Arena World Championship medals. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.

When it came down to the Cross-Region Tournament, Kungarna took home another hard-fought victory, winning the gold with a 4-1 score after playing against the best teams in both the North American and European regions.

The World of Warcraft Classic Burning Crusade event happened this year as well. But which teams will win the Wrath of the Lich King one? There’s only one way to find out, and it’s by watching the Wrath of the Lich King Classic Arena Tournament this weekend!

That’s all for now. Stay tuned on Esports.gg for more World of Warcraft content!