Esports at BlizzCon 2026: Blizzard Classic Cup, WoW AWC and MDI, Overwatch World Cup, and Hearthstone Masters Tour!

From edge-of-your-seat battles to unforgettable wins, esports have always been a part of BlizzCon's DNA, uniting our community in the thrill of competition as we cheer on our favorite teams and the most skilled players from around the world. At BlizzCon 2026, competition reaches a fever pitch across programs from World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and our newest addition: the Blizzard Classic Cup.

Blizzard Classic Cup

The Blizzard Classic Cup is a cross-title team showdown celebrating the rivalries, personalities, and high-stakes moments that define Blizzard Esports. Across both days of BlizzCon, iconic players will once again face off-this time under the banners of two captains-competing for pride, legacy, and their share of a $100,000 USD total prize pool.

The Blizzard Classic Cup spans four titles:

• Heroes of the Storm
• StarCraft: Remastered
• StarCraft II
• Warcraft III: Reforged

The Captains

Last week, we announced Nick "Tasteless" Plottand Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski as the Classic Cup captains.

For nearly two decades, "Tastosis" have been at the center of Blizzard Esports history. Their chemistry, passion, and connection to our community make them the perfect duo to help bring the Classic Cup to life.

Tasteless and Artosis won't just be behind the desk: they'll be leading their own teams into battle. Across four Blizzard titles, the captains will draft their teams, testing their recruits' preparation, adaptability, and fortitude. More information on that draft to come!

In addition to captaining their teams, "Tastosis" will be stepping in to cast select matches, alongside a fantastic roster of talent that we'll be sharing in the coming months.

Across both days at BlizzCon, you can expect a curated mix of:

• Legacy Matchups: running back one high-stakes rivalry per title that helped define an esports era.
• Entertainment Matches: showdowns in StarCraft: Remastered, StarCraft II, and Warcraft III: Reforged, featuring some of our favorite personalities in unexpected combinations.

This isn't a traditional bracket, as there's no elimination tree. Instead, every match contributes points to each team's total. The scoreboard is live all weekend and every match shifts the momentum.

Legacy matchups carry the most weight and the biggest stakes. Here's how points are earned:

At stake is a prize pool of $100,000 USD total. Each Legacy Match features a $20,000 USD bounty awarded to the competitors in that matchup. At the end of the weekend, the team with the most total points will be crowned Classic Cup Champions, lifting the Classic Cup trophy on stage and earning a $20,000 USD team bonus.

More to Come: The Road to BlizzCon

In the lead-up to BlizzCon, we'll be sharing more details on the team draft and individual matchups.

The Blizzard Classic Cup is not to be missed at BlizzCon 2026. For those tuning in from home, keep an eye out for how you can earn special in-game viewership rewards!

World of Warcraft Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International

The Arena World Championship (AWC) and Mythic Dungeon International (MDI) are back in Midnight with a year-long program culminating at BlizzCon 2026. Program details for the year have just been announced, with the return of head-to-head speedrunning in MDI, new Cross-Region playoffs and the return of China region in AWC, and a grand total $600,000 USD in prizing at BlizzCon.

Check out the WoW Esports 2026 Unveil for details on these programs which begin in just three weeks on April 8. Sign up today at Raider.IO to join the road to BlizzCon and earn exclusive in-game rewards.

Overwatch World Cup

In celebration of 10 years of Overwatch Esports, the Overwatch World Cup is returning to BlizzCon.

This year, a total of 52 teams will compete across the program. The main tournament will feature 30 teams: 19 invited teams, and 11 wildcard teams advancing from the Conference Cups. In the pre-qualifiers, 33 wildcard teams already competing in Conference Cups will have a chance to claim one of the remaining 11 spots in the tournament.

• Invited Teams
  • Americas: Brazil (BRA), Canada (CAN), Colombia (COL), Mexico (MEX), and the United States (USA)
  • EMEA: Denmark (DEN), Finland (FIN), France (FRA), Great Britain (GBR), Norway (NOR), Saudi Arabia (KSA), Spain (ESP), and Sweden (SWE)
  • Asia: Australia (AUS), China (CHN), Hong Kong (HKG), Japan (JPN), South Korea (KOR), and Thailand (THA)
• Wildcard Teams (11 teams advance to Online Qualifiers)
  • AMER Conference Cup (three teams advance): Argentina (ARG), Chile (CHI), Costa Rica (CRC), Ecuador (ECU), Guatemala (GUA), Honduras (HON), Panama (PAN), Peru (PER), and Puerto Rico (PUR)
  • EMEA Conference Cup (five teams advance): Austria (AUT), Bahrain (BRN), Belgium (BEL), Czechia (CZE), Estonia (EST), Germany (GER), Greece (GRE), Iceland (ISL), Ireland (IRL), Israel (ISR), Italy (ITA), Latvia (LAT), Netherlands (NED), Poland (POL), Portugal (POR), South Africa (RSA), Switzerland (SUI), and Türkiye (TUR)
  • ASIA Conference Cup (three teams advance): India (IND), Malaysia (MAS), New Zealand (NZL), Pakistan (PAK), Philippines (PHI), and Singapore (SGP)

Follow along as these teams face off from now through BlizzCon. Pre-qualifiers will be held March through April, with Qualifiers in June, followed by the Group Draw in July and Group Stage in August. For full details, as well as information about special Overwatch World Cup merchandise, visit https://esports.overwatch.com.

Hearthstone Masters Tour

Competition is well underway in the 2026 Hearthstone Masters Tour, with players already competing in the newly introduced Winter Season Playoffs, which were broadcast live on the Hearthstone Twitch channel on Sunday.

The top 12 players have now locked in their placement at the first Masters Tour Championship of the year to be held April 10-12, 2026. From there, the top three will be the first players to qualify for BlizzCon.

For more information on the 2026 Hearthstone Masters Tour, read our blog post or join the Hearthstone Esports Discord Server for the latest news.

Prepare for Battle

From world championships to the debut of the Classic Cup, BlizzCon 2026 is where it all comes together. Join us September 12-13, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center. BlizzCon Passes are limited in availability so be sure to get yours before they sell out. Can't make it in person? Tune in virtually to experience all the adrenaline, intensity, and fun.

See you at BlizzCon!