Setting our Sights on 2022 for the 15th Anniversary of WoW Esports!
With 2022 starting up, it’s time to make some plans for the new year. The WoW® Esports team is happy to share some of our exciting 2022 plans for Arena World Championship, Mythic Dungeon International, and Classic Arena Tournament!
In 2021, we sought to rethink and expand what competitive World of Warcraft® could mean with expanded Arena World Championship Cups, the new Burning Crusade Classic Arena Tournament, and the introduction of new formats to the Mythic Dungeon International. For 2022, our philosophy is to iterate and improve throughout the year to constantly expand on what makes WoW Esports a community that everyone can be proud to be a part of. With our planned changes and over $1.8 million (USD) in prizing across all three programs, 2022 is bound to be one of the best years for the competitive scene!
One of the main questions we have received from players during the pandemic has been when we are returning to live, on-site events. While qualifying tournaments and each regular season are going to remain online, we are targeting a return to an in-person event in Summer 2022 that encompasses the Shadowlands Season 3 championships for both AWC and MDI. A live tournament is incredibly important to both players and the entire WoW Esports team, and it’s our hope to come together once again in person to celebrate these programs. Over the coming months we will have more news on the viability of this onsite event; whatever we decide will be with the sole intention of ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of everyone involved.
Read on for specifics on each program as competitive World of Warcraft returns for its fifteenth year!
ARENA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
World of Warcraft launched just over 17 years ago, and the Arena World Championship has proudly offered PvP competitors around the world the chance to prove they are the best for 15 years. AWC is starting 2022 off with its first season cups beginning on March 18, with signs up for Europe and North America open now!
Similar to last year, teams across North America and Europe will compete in four separate open Cups for $10,000 in weekly prizing per region and points to advance to the AWC Circuit! The top eight point-earning teams from each region after the Cups will advance to the Circuit, a four-week round robin with a global prize pool of $320,000 (USD). Following the Circuit, the top four teams from each region will earn their spots in the Grand Finals and a shot at the $300,000 prize pool!
Following the conclusion of Season 3, we’ll share the schedule and details of the rest of 2022, including some new one-off events to test out ideas on further evolving competitive PvP.
MYTHIC DUNGEON INTERNATIONAL
For MDI Season 3, we are bringing back the Groups format from Season 2. Beginning today, dungeon-running teams can register for the season Time Trials starting March 30. The top 24 teams will advance to the season Groups, where they’ll race for their share of the $30,000 weekly prize pools and invites to the Global Finals. Along with the top team from China and the winner of the Season 3 Last Stand Tournament, the advancing teams will then compete for the title of Global Champions and the lion’s share of a $300,000 prize pool!
In 2021 we loved the introduction of The Great Push and are excited to bring it back in a bigger fashion in 2022. We will be conducting a multi-weekend mini-season of The Great Push awarding a further $210,000 in prizing after the conclusion of the MDI Global Finals for Season 3. We’ll share more details on more events and the leveled-up return of The Great Push later this year.
CLASSIC ARENA TOURNAMENT
WoW Esports is returning to Burning Crusade Classic with CAT for Season 3! Players across Europe and North America will form teams in this 3v3 tournament that will see the best fighters in Outland prove themselves worthy of taking home the heightened bounty of the combined $100,000 pool.
Sign-ups are now open until February 09, 2022 at 9:00 am Pacific time, with registration for Europe here and for North America here.
Looking Forward
After such a fun and exciting 2021, we cannot wait to get players back together and competing. Be sure to sign up for the AWC Cups, MDI Groups, and first CAT of the year on Gamebattles. We’ll have more to share as the year progresses so stay connected by following WoW Esports on Twitter and subscribing to the Warcraft YouTube channel.
Good luck and have fun!