The Arena Tournament Realm is now offline with the conclusion of the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament. The realm will be offline until the start of the next Arena Tournament season. We want to thank everyone who participated in or followed this year’s tournament and welcome you all to return next year!

Starting this Friday, the 2009 Regional Finals featuring World of Warcraft Arena and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, will take place in Cologne, Germany. The best players and teams from the US and the EU will compete to determine which of them will win a much sought-after spot at the Grand Finals at BlizzCon in Anaheim, California.

Watch the action in-person by joining us at the KOMED Meeting Centre in Cologne's MediaPark or follow the action from wherever you are through our official Regional Finals website. Additionally, we've prepared for you a brackets page with all participants, which will be updated throughout the event. The newly added tournament schedule available from the Information Page will help you follow the action and our Community team will keep you updated during the entire event from our Forums.

Stay tuned for more information about this exciting event and we hope to see you there!

As the 2009 Warcraft Regional Finals approach, we are excited to announce that the tournament will be streamed live* on the official Regional Finals homepage (starting at 14:00 CEST on Friday June 26th through to Sunday June 28th). You’ll be able to follow the thrilling competition by watching the event live and shoutcasted by Rob Simpson from the Blizzard eSports team and three special guests from the ESL: Stuart “TosspoT” Saw and Daniel “LilLD.C” Claesson for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, and James “2GD” Harding for World of Warcraft Arena.

We will also be offering live coverage throughout the event, including news reports, articles and live updates from the Forums. Visit the Regional Finals website for more information!

*In order to view the action, you may need to install the Octoshape Flash plugin. After installing, you may need to restart your browser.

We are proud to announce the participants for the North American and European 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament Regional Finals which will take place on June 26th to 28th in Cologne, Germany. After several weeks of fierce and exciting arena matches in the online qualifiers, players from both continents have shown themselves worthy of competing in these Regional Finals. In each of these two competitions held on the same weekend, eight teams of players will fight for the title of Regional Champion. The top two teams from both Europe and North America will have the chance to qualify for the Global Finals to be held at BlizzCon on August 21st and 22nd in Anaheim, California.

List of EU participants:

Seed	Team	Nicks	Classes	Country
1	Woah	Ocelote|Kae|Inflame
2	Ensidia Habaneros	Hydra|Kalimist|Redkoala
3	eDawgs	Raeli|Stgeorge|Saori
4	aAa RAT	Khuna|Avishan|Thorkin
5	aAa	Anelitz|Pheonix|Hiss
6	SK Gaming EU	Xom|Roez|Another
7	Rest in many pieces	Daisyd.|Phildryzen|Never
8	TBA

List of North American participants:

Seed	Team	Nicks	Classes	Country
1	BARKSDALE CREW	BEY|propjoe|Shinaniganz
2	Complexity Gaming	Venruki|Sodah|HappyM.
3	EG	zyz|Azael|Kollektiv
4	GET MONEY GET PAYCE	twixztwo|Niero|yapcez
5	holyplay	rgo|Euneek|Tenderloin
6	KNUCKLBABIEZ TO THA DOME	Crackf.|Pookz|dispelbot
7	monkey attack squad	Velmael.|Roguemo.|Syia
8	TSG (well then)	Veex|Valrath|Zilea

Make sure to check out our information page for the 2009 Warcraft Regional Finals!

In just two short weeks, the Regional Finals will take place in Cologne! Attendees will be able to see the best teams from around the world compete in the World of Warcraft Arena and the Warcraft III:Frozen Throne tournaments. To help you find your way to this free-to-all event, we have provided travel information over on our new Tournament Information page. We look forward to seeing you there!

During the 2009 Warcraft Regional Finals, the best European and North American players will battle each other on stage in Cologne, Germany. Event attendees will also discover our dedicated gaming area, try our latest games, take part in contests, and much more. At the event, you’ll have the opportunity to challenge your friends in StarCraft II, the long-awaited sequel to StarCraft, and game stations will also be set up for Wrath of the Lich King. If you haven’t yet had the chance to step into Northrend or are wondering what’s new for your favorite StarCraft race, you can find out in Cologne June 26 - 28th.

We're glad to announce the winners of the Korean regional final of the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament. Teams "Shipit" and "Button Bashers" have successfully fought their way up the ranks through formidable adversaries en route to winning $15,000 and $6,000 respectively.

Each team will be invited to participate in the global final at BlizzCon for a chance to further showcase their skills, win cash prizes, and compete against the other top regional teams. For video coverage of the event please visit our hosting site. Congratulations to all the winners!

Rank	Team Name	Classes
1	Shipit
2	Button Bashers
3	SK-Korea
4	Without Dimension
5	Azshara
6	M Y T H
7	S Line
8	Tenacity

We’re glad to announce the winners of the Taiwan regional final of the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament. Below you’ll find the final rankings from the participating teams at this year’s event. Teams “D K P” and “all pass” proved their worth this weekend, rising above an elite field of competitors to claim the top spots in the tournament, winning $15,000 and $6,000 respectively. Their greatest challenge, however, still awaits at this year’s BlizzCon.

Each team will also be invited to participate in the global final at BlizzCon for a chance to further showcase their skills, win cash prizes, and compete against the other top regional teams. For video coverage of the event please visit our hosting site.

Rank	Team Name	Classes
1	D K P
2	all pass
3	Nearer My God To Thee
4	ROC
5	實力證明一切
6	Peace of Formosa PDH
7	KTM
8	我聞到雨的味道

For the past several months, players have been climbing their respective qualifying ladders, battling each other for a spot at the Regional Finals of the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament and the 2009 Warcraft III Tournament. On June 26 to 28 you can witness them clash for the top spots and a trip to the Global Finals at BlizzCon. To watch the excitement of the 2009 Regional Finals in person and witness the fast-paced action live on stage, you can join us at the MediaPark in Cologne, Germany. Experience the fascination of eSports at a top level and join other spectators to cheer for your favorite players.

For more information and all updates, check out the Regional Finals mini-site.

After several weeks of fierce and exciting arena matches the 2009 Arena Tournament online qualifier has come to a close. We have seen a lot of changes to the top 10 during the Online Qualifier phases and would like to thank all players for their participation.

The top 10 teams of the 2009 Arena Tournament’s online qualifier as of April 22, 2009 are listed below:

Rank	Team Name	Classes	Win-Loss	Team Rating
1	seriously ure out		307 - 164	2433
2	cowsgomoo		244 - 88	2407
3	eDawgs		217 - 86	2402
4	àAà RAT		317 - 168	2374
5	àAà		405 - 295	2363
6	gqwgqwgqgqgq		155 - 48	2362
7	tera gaming con		246 - 138	2360
8	rest in pieces		148 - 83	2357
9	wannabemäßig		224 - 104	2354
10	Improved Clickz		291 - 153	2345

You can follow the full ladder rankings of the online qualifier on the World of Warcraft Armory.

After a thorough check of eligibility we will be inviting the top eight qualifying and eligible teams to the Regional Finals. Be sure to check back here to see who’s attending as the event nears.

Phase 4 of the 2009 Arena Tournament will be ending next Tueday, April 21, at 21:00 CEST. Please keep in mind that this is the final phase of the tournament; the top eight teams from this phase will be invited to the 2009 Arena Tournament Regional Finals. Participants must remain on their team for the duration of the tournament to ensure prize eligibility. For more information on the tournament, please visit our Arena Tournament information page; to discuss the tournament with your fellow players, please visit the Arena Tournament Forum. Thank you to all of the participants, and good luck to everyone!

Phase 4 of the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena tournament has begun. Tournament participants have battled fiercely for weeks in hopes of making it to the invitational ladder. Competitors now have one week to prove their worth as this final phase of the online qualification will last until April 21 at 21:00 CEST. For a list of the invited teams and to track their progress, please visit the World of Warcraft Armory. Top teams will earn a chance to participate in live events, including the global finals being held at BlizzCon. For more information on the tournament, please visit our Arena Tournament information page; to discuss the tournament with your fellow players, please visit the Arena Tournament Forum. Good luck and good fight!

Phase 3 of the 2009 Arena Tournament has concluded! Contestants can now relax and chill until the Arena Tournament realm opens again on the 15th of April.

We have seen a lot of new teams with new class combinations represented in the top 10, even though the top three spots are playing Mage, Priest and Rogue. For example the team “seriously ure out” has resurrected the combination made famous by Nihilum Plasma in the 2008 Arena Tournament: Druid, Warlock and Warrior. Taking a closer look: Inflame (ex-Nihilum Plasma player) is actually a member of this new team. Also the teams of “Hex and the city” and “WHAT IS UP YO” have done great work at bringing Shamans into the Top 10. The teams now have one week to prepare for Phase 4 which is an invitational ladder and starts April 15th right after the weekly maintenance.

The top 10 teams of the 2009 Arena Tournament’s online qualifier as of April 8th 2009 are listed below:

Rank	Team Name	Classes	Win-Loss	Team Rating
1	we r randoms		189 - 65	2401
2	gqwgqwgqgqgq		155 - 48	2362
3	eDawgs		165 - 66	2351
4	BOMBERS		181 - 78	2345
5	Improved Clicks		276 - 158	2340
6	seriously ure out		242 - 142	2335
7	Unstable bomb		160 - 60	2332
8	Hex and the city		128 - 72	2330
9	WHAT IS UP YO		172 - 72	2327
10	àAà RAT		199 - 107	2313

You can follow the full ladder rankings of the online qualifier on the World of Warcraft Armory.

Phase 3 of the 2009 Arena Tournament will be ending next Tuesday, April 7, at 21.00 CEST. Please keep in mind that you have until the end of this phase to complete the 200 rated 3v3 games required to qualify for prizes. Participants must also remain on their team for the duration of the tournament to ensure prize eligibility. The Arena Tournament realms will be shut down for a week in preparation for Phase 4 of the tournament (the invitational ladder), which will determine who advances to the regional finals. Phase 4 will begin on Wednesday, April 15, after maintenance. For more information on the tournament, please visit our Arena Tournament information page; to discuss the tournament with your fellow players, please visit the Arena Tournament Forum. Thank you to all of the participants, and good luck to everyone who qualified for the invitational ladder!

One more week has to be played until the top 1000 teams will be decided. Let’s take this moment to take a closer look at the current standings.

Quite a lot of changes this week as we see six new teams in the Top 10 compared to last week. It looks like Rogue, Mage, Priest-Teams had a pretty nice as six out of eleven teams are using this composition. In addition Improved Clicks which are better known as x6tence and won the 2008 Arena Tournament European Regional fought their way back into the Top 10.

The top 10 teams of the 2009 Arena Tournament’s online qualifier as of April 1, 2009 are listed below

Rank	Team Name	Classes	Win-Loss	Team Rating
1	we r randoms		189 - 65	2401
2	cowsgomoo		99 - 26	2384
3	àAà RAT		148 - 78	2379
4	Beat de Haut Bois		108 - 45	2363
5	gqwgqwgqgqgq		100 - 33	2360
6	nightmaree		113 - 38	2323
7	NOP		111 - 47	2320
8	BOMBERS		163 - 73	2309
9	eDawgs		108 - 49	2307
10	Improved Clicks		230 - 139	2305
10	sadpandasrcute		140 - 49	2305

You can follow the full ladder rankings of the online qualifier on the World of Warcraft Armory.

Registration for the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament is now closed and Phase 3 of the tournament has begun. Participants have been battling it out on the tournament realms for the past two weeks while fine-tuning their team composition and strategies. Phase 3 of the tournament includes a lockdown of the teams that will be jockeying for position to compete in the regional finals. Please remember that participants must remain on their team for the duration of the tournament to ensure prize eligibility, and only games played in the 3v3 bracket count towards this goal. To track the progress of your team and the competition as a whole, please visit the World of Warcraft Armory. For more information on the tournament, please visit our Arena Tournament information page; to discuss the tournament with your fellow players, please visit the Arena Tournament Forum. Good luck to all competitors!

The second week of the 2009 Arena Tournament qualifiers just ended, so it is time to have a look at the current standings. It seems that some teams are getting used to flying high, but others have climbed their way up to the top 10 and are willing to challenge the established teams. Please note that things are getting serious, as team composition is now locked for the last two qualifying weeks.

The top 10 teams of the 2009 Arena Tournament's online qualifier as of March 25, 2009 are listed below:

Rank	Team Name	Classes	Win-Loss	Team Rating
1	nightmaree		80 - 17	2404
2	we r randoms		189 - 65	2401
3	àAà RAT		129 - 71	2362
4	PHM		77 - 24	2339
5	NOP		111 - 47	2320
6	BOMBERS		163 - 73	2309
7	Almost Famous		201 - 84	2303
8	BloódxWorstRogueEUU		120 - 44	2301
9	I HAZ A BIG BOW		116 - 51	2294
10	Rest in peaces		133 - 79	2285

You can follow the full ladder rankings of the online qualifier on the World of Warcraft Armory.

Phase 3 of the 2009 Arena Tournament is starting next Wednesday and this will be your last chance to register. Teams will be locked down during this phase, so please finalize your team rosters for the home stretch. Participants must remain on their team for the duration of the tournament to ensure prize eligibility. Please keep in mind that changes made to our live realms will also be reflected on our tournament realms, so adjust your teams accordingly. For more information on the tournament, please visit our Arena Tournament information page; to discuss the tournament with your fellow players, please visit the Arena Tournament Forum. Good luck to all competitors!

The first competitors have signed up and are now fighting their way to the qualifiers, which is the second phase of the 2009 Arena Tournament. If you take a look at the current standings, you'll see that some of the best players from the 2008 Arena Tournament are fighting against a range of new teams. It's not too late to sign up and join them in the fight for the 2009 Arena Tournament!

To help you get in the mood for this competition, don't miss the opportunity to watch some of the best matches from the Arena Tournament 2008:

Regional finals: x6tence vs. Nihilum Plasma
Blizzcon 2008, Round 2: x6tence vs Nihilum Plasma
Global finals at Blizzcon 2008: Nihilum Plasma vs selective queuers

If you have only just joined the fray, make sure you read the information below and watch the matches from 2008. Only then can you be sure you know the strategies and tactics of the best teams from 2008 that may prove to be your next opponents!

• aAa nawak finished third at the Intel Extreme Master Season 3 global finals. This team is well known for playing a huge amount of matches and their typical setup is Rogue, Mage and Priest.
• Carekoala used to play with Nihilum Plasma (the winners of the 2008 Arena Tournament,) but he is now playing as a mage with "we r randoms".
• Improved clicks is better known as the Spanish team x6tence.
• x6tence were 4th at the Intel Extreme Masters Global Challenge in Montreal, Canada.
• x6tence won the European Regionals for the 2008 Arena Tournament.
• Nihilum Plasma captured 2nd place at the European Regionals and won the 2008 Arena.
• 2009 Tournament: Tera gaming played the first offline tournament at the Intel Extreme Masters Season 3 European Finals at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany.
• 2009 Tournament: eStars is playing on the German battlegroup Blutdurst and are currently placed 2nd in this Battlegroup!

The ranked matches are already being fought, but you can still register until March, 25th 2009. Here is your chance to shine! Show others your fighting skills while using epic geared level 80 characters. Moreover, you could bring back an armored murloc pet and the Vanquisher title to Azeroth!

One week of the online qualifier for the 2009 Arena Tournament has passed and we saw some fierce battles. With three more weeks to qualify for the next phase we would like to give you an overview of the current standings.

The top 10 teams of the 2009 Arena Tournament’s online qualifier as of March 18, 2009 are listed below:

Rank	Team Name	Classes	Win-Loss	Team Rating
1.	we r randoms		144 - 53	2332
2.	I HAZ A BIG BOW		94 - 39	2316
3.	BOMBERS		100 - 40	2307
4.	BloódxWorstRogueEUU		120 - 44	2301
5.	Improved Clickz		120 - 61	2316
6.	Almost Famous		141 - 65	2241
7.	àAà		79 - 35	2225
8.	eStars		81 - 44	2213
9.	Squishy squish		54 - 30	2207
10.	Improved clicks		89 - 57	2205

You can follow the full ladder rankings of the online qualifier on the World of Warcraft Armory.

The Arena Tournament forum located here is now open to all players for discussion. We are making this change in order for the entire community to communicate with each other regarding the Arena Tournament. Phase 2 of the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament began today and tournament participants are fervently engaged in arena warfare. We welcome you to join in the conversation of which teams will reign supreme, which strategies will be best utilized!

Phase 2 of the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament has begun. Tournament participants have had ample time during the practice phase to hone their strategies, try various team compositions, and get familiar with playing with their team. It's now time to play for keeps. To track the progress of your team and competition, please visit the World of Warcraft Armory and select the Coliseum 1 battlegroup. Top teams will earn a chance to participate in live events, including the global finals being held at the recently announced BlizzCon.

If you have not yet registered for the tournament, you can still do so until March, 25 when Phase 3 begins. For more information on the tournament please visit our Arena Tournament information page; to discuss the tournament with your fellow players, please visit the Arena Tournament Forum. Good luck and may the best teams be left standing!

The 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament has now officially started!

Players from around the world can compete on our special tournament realms for cash prizes totaling over $200,000 USD. These realms have been outfitted with level 80 character templates and the latest epic gear from Wrath of the Lich King. As an added bonus, we have included exclusive rewards that players can earn by participating in the tournament, including an Armored Murloc in-game pet. The best teams will also compete for a chance to achieve the title of "Vanquisher" for their live characters.

For more information on the tournament, including how to register and participate, please visit our Arena Tournament information page. Good luck!

We have just updated our Arena Tournament Information and FAQ pages with information about the 2009 Arena Tournament realm opening and availability. Please take a moment to look over these pages if you’re interested in participating.

Remember, this year all participants in the tournament have a chance to earn the exclusive Armored Murloc in-game pet as well as the exclusive “Vanquisher” title, so get your team together and be ready for fierce competition.

For more information on the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament, take a look at our FAQ and remember to check back on the News Section for updates.

We’re pleased to announce that the 2009 World of Warcraft Arena Tournament is nearly here. Starting next week (February 17, 2009), players will be able to sign up to compete in this year’s exciting competition. The tournament will feature an online qualifier played on our special tournament realms. Top teams will proceed to their respective regional finals and compete for a chance to reach the global world championship – with cash prizes totaling over $200,000.

These realms have been outfitted with level 80 character templates and the latest epic gear from Wrath of the Lich King. As an added bonus, we have included exclusive rewards that players can earn by participating in the tournament, including an Armored Murloc in-game pet. Top teams will also contend for a chance to achieve the “Vanquisher” title for their live characters.

If you would like to demonstrate your arena prowess, or simply want a chance to earn the exclusive loot, please check back next week for more details – including eligible countries – and register!