World of Tanks 2026 WCI Heads to Chongqing With ¥1.6M Prize Pool
The 2026 World of Tanks Championship International (WCI) has been officially announced, with the tournament heading to Chongqing, China. Global regional qualifiers are set to kick off in July, and eight of the world’s top teams will ultimately battle for the event’s highest honor and a total prize pool of ¥1.6 million (~$224,000). The group stage is scheduled for November 21-22, followed by the single-elimination bracket on November 28-29. After three consecutive successful editions, WCI has established itself as a major annual event on the World of Tanks competitive calendar.
Last year’s WCI delivered impressive momentum. Arena packages for the 2025 event sold out within six minutes of tickets going on sale, all packages were gone in six hours, finals-day tickets lasted four days, and every ticket type sold out within 14 days. The 2025 tournament also saw the prize pool raised from ¥1 million to ¥1.6 million, the field expand from six to eight teams, and a new group stage introduced, drawing 3.278 million viewers worldwide. MAFIA’s win over defending champion HIT AND RUN and on-site KOL signing sessions were among the event’s standout moments.
The 2026 WCI brings a major format change: the knockout stage shifts from double elimination to a single-elimination bracket, raising the stakes of every round. Overseas qualifiers begin in July, while the China regional qualifiers open in October. Three teams advancing from the Chinese server qualifiers will join two European squads, one North American team, one Asia-Pacific team, and one wildcard entry to meet in Chongqing. Qualifier matches will be streamed live across major streaming platforms.
Chinese server teams have been making steady progress on the international stage. Shanghai FALCON took third place in 2023, and Chengdu ONEONE reached the final in 2024, the best result yet for a Chinese team. This year, three Chinese server squads will defend home turf in Chongqing, where the venue experience is being upgraded with more comfortable viewing areas, a stronger stage presentation, and more opportunities to interact with pro players and guests. Whether MAFIA can defend its crown or a Chinese team claims its first title will be decided in November. With the single-elimination twist, this shapes up to be one of the most unpredictable WCI editions yet.
