While most Warhammer 40K fans play purely for fun, there is an elite group of professional players who battle it out for glory and prizes in the annual Warhammer World Championship.
Recently, Games Workshop announced plans for the 2024 event, including details on how to qualify and where the final tournament will be taking place.
So just what can we expect when the best-of-the-best battle it out in the coming year? Below, we break out all the details.
What is The Warhammer World Championship?
The Warhammer World Championship is a now annual gaming tournament sponsored by Games Workshop that was first started in 2023 and features over 300 players competing from over 45 different countries. The event features elimination play in four different games: Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Kill Team and Warhammer Underworlds.
Players are selected after competing in qualifying tournaments held in various conventions around the world, including Warhammer Fest, the US Open, the Las Vegas Open, AdeptiCon, the London GT and the NOVA Open (although smaller cons can also enter to become qualifying events).
During the World Championship, winners compete individually and as representatives of their respective countries, with play consisting of two primary rounds followed by the semifinals and finals, with winners moving on and losers being eliminated in a bracket.
When and where will the 2024 Warhammer World Championship be held?
The exact dates and location for the final tournament have not yet been confirmed. Games Workshop has however, said that Warhammer World Championship will be held in mid-November 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
This allows Games Workshop and players around the world enough time to compete in local city-level tournaments as well as national competitions.
Who won the 2023 Warhammer World Championship?
2023 marked the first annual Warhammer World Championship, as prior to this tournaments were only held at the national level (such as the Warhammer US Open).
The winners in 2023 came from several countries to compete across the four game categories.
- Warhammer 40K: England’s Mani Cheema was crowned World Champion playing a Chaos Space Marines army, with the US’s John Lennon taking second place with his Ultramarines.
- Age of Sigmar: France’s Nicolas Tassone was crowned World Champion for AoS, playing an army of Lumineth Realm-lords, with England’s Tom Mawdsley coming in second place with an army of Skaven.
- Kill Team: Australian Aleksa Pavkovic took home the top prize with his team of Chaos Cultists, followed closely by Spain’s Alberto “Java” Ibericon who also played Chaos Cultists.
- Warhammer Underworlds: US player Aman Khusro earned the top spot with his Domitan’s Stormcoven, while France’s Cyril Deneux earned second place with his Ephilim’s Pandemonium.
- Winning Country: In terms of overall completion between countries, the United States came out on top (with American players scoring the most game wins), with France coming in second and England in third.
Final Thoughts
For elite Warhammer players, the upcoming 2024 World Championship marks a major new milestone of professional play. For casual fans, it’s also an opportunity to watch elite levels of competition and pick up a few pointers along the way.
If you’re an organizer of a convention or gaming event you can apply now to become an official qualifier for the Warhammer World Championship. And if you’re a player looking to represent yourself and your country in one of the coveted final spots, you can check out the rolling schedule of tournaments on the Games Workshop Eventbrite page.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the World Championships in the coming months and will update this page with more information as it’s made available.
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Zachary Birch lives in Medford, Massachusetts and has been a dedicated war gamer for over 15 years, playing pretty much ever system under the sun. Orks remain his favorite Warhammer 40K army (because nothing beats stomping gits into the ground). He also enjoys playing video games, reading, playing the guitar and shouting “WAAAGH!” at inappropriate times.
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