BlizzCon® 2016 Opening Week – October 26–31
Elite esports players from across the globe will be traveling to North America next month to compete at BlizzCon Opening Week, all hoping to set themselves up for success on the BlizzCon stage on November 4–5. One of the tournaments featured at Opening Week is the World of Warcraft Arena Championship, the first group stages of which will be played on October 28. Read on to find out where you can watch all the WoW Arena action, including the Regionals leading up to Opening Week.
Opening Week Schedule
All of the action during Opening Week will be streamed live and free of charge on blizzcon.com, as detailed below:
| Times listed are PDT | 10/26 | 10/27 | 10/28 | 10/29 | 10/30* | 10/31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WoW Arena | 11:00 a.m. | |||||
| Heroes | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | |||
| Overwatch | 12:00 p.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 12:00 p.m. | |||
| Hearthstone | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | |
| StarCraft II | 8:30 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. | 9:30 a.m. |
*Daylight Saving Time ends in EU.
Before BlizzCon: World of Warcraft® Arena Regionals
Before BlizzCon Opening Week begins, World of Warcraft teams are set to compete head-to-head in a battle royale to find out who among them will take their Regional and advance to the World of Warcraft Arena World Championships. Three teams from Europe and three from North America will advance to BlizzCon, and will be joined by one team each from the Asia-Pacific region and China (the latter of which has already been determined). Check back on the official World of Warcraft site to stay on top of all of the action in the coming weeks, and root on your favorite team!
European Regionals: September 30–October 2 (three teams advance)
North American Regionals: October 8–9 (three teams advance)
Asia Pacific Championship: October 15 (one team will advance)
World of Warcraft® Arena World Championship
Prize Pool: $250,000
Number of Players: 8 Teams (3–4 players per team)
Schedule: October 28, 11:00 a.m. PDT
Matches: Ahead of the Grand Finals on stage at BlizzCon, the top eight World of Warcraft Arena teams from around the world will play their first group stage matches on October 28. All eight teams will then travel to BlizzCon, where those who emerge victorious from the remaining group stages will do battle in a single-elimination bracket until the champions are crowned.
Heroes of the Storm® Fall Global Championship
Prize Pool: $1,000,000
Number of Players: 12 Teams (5 players per team)
Schedule: October 26–28, 9:00 a.m. PDT
Matches: For three days during Opening Week, the 12 qualified teams will compete in the first of two dual-tournament group stages until only eight remain. The second group stage will get underway during Opening Week, but all eight teams will get to play on the BlizzCon stage before it concludes and the top four head into a single-elimination bracket.
Overwatch® World Cup
Number of Players: 16 Teams (6 players per team)
Schedule: October 29–31, 12:00 p.m. PDT
Matches: Following the online qualifiers, 16 teams representing nations and regions from around the globe will compete for glory during Opening Week. After three days of best-of-three, round-robin group stages, only eight teams will remain to compete in a single-elimination bracket in the BlizzCon arena.
Hearthstone® World Championship
Prize Pool: $1,000,000
Number of Players: 16
Schedule: October 26–30, 9:00 a.m. PDT
Matches: Spread across no fewer than five days, this year’s Hearthstone World Championship group stages will all take place during Opening Week. Four groups of four players will compete in a dual-tournament format until only eight challengers remain, having earned the right to compete in the BlizzCon single-elimination bracket.
StarCraft® II World Championship Series Global Finals
Prize Pool: $500,000
Number of Players: 16
Schedule: October 27–29, 8:30 a.m. PDT and October 30, 9:30 a.m. PDT
Matches: The top 16 players—seven major tournament winners plus nine based on WCS points—will compete in the Global Playoffs during Opening Week. Only the eight players who make it through the double-elimination group will advance to BlizzCon, where a single-elimination bracket incorporating best-of-five matches and a best-of-seven grand final will determine the WCS Global Champion.
We hope you can join us at blizzcon.com during Opening Week and, if you’re not attending BlizzCon in person this year, for the opening ceremony and throughout the event. Remember that while some BlizzCon streams are available only with a Virtual Ticket, all BlizzCon esports streams are free!