by JR Cook - 1 month ago     show comments

After years away, the Hearthstone World Championship is finally returning to BlizzCon. Sixteen of the world’s best players have earned their spots through a year of competition, and they’ll be fighting it out on September 12 and 13 for the title of 2026 Hearthstone World Champion and a $100,000 grand prize.

The tournament kicks off with group stage play on September 8-10, streaming online. Then the knockout rounds take center stage at BlizzCon itself, with quarterfinals on September 12 and semifinals plus finals on September 13. The prize pool sits at $500,000 total, and viewers can earn Escape from Violet Hold packs by tuning in (including a golden pack if you’re watching the finals).

Choose Your Champion and Earn More Packs

Blizzard is bringing back the Choose Your Champion feature starting September 3 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. Pick a player before competition begins, and you’ll earn packs based on how far they advance. If your pick wins the entire tournament, you’ll get an additional golden Escape from Violet Hold pack on top of the standard rewards.

The format is 4-deck Best-of-5 Conquest with a ban. Group stage runs double elimination within four groups of four players, narrowing the field to eight for the single-elimination knockout rounds at BlizzCon. Every region is represented in the player lineup, from Americas standouts like McBanterFace and WinBrownie to APAC competitors Soyorin and Curfew, Europe’s Gaby59 and SAVOR, and China’s mlYanming and XiaoT.

How to Watch

The broadcast goes live on Twitch and YouTube, with casters Edelweiss, Lorinda, PocketTrain, Raven, and Sottle on the call. Group stage starts at 9:00 a.m. PDT on September 8, while the BlizzCon knockout stage begins at 11:00 a.m. PDT on September 12 and 9:00 a.m. PDT on September 13. Co-streamers interested in covering the event can fill out Blizzard’s co-streaming form.

If you’re planning to watch the full bracket at BlizzCon or follow along from home during marathon viewing sessions, the HyperX Cloud III Wireless offers comfortable sound isolation for long stretches, while the Logitech G Pro X 2 Lightspeed brings pro-grade wireless audio used by esports players worldwide.

Source: Blizzard Entertainment