September 10, 2026 — The Arena World Championship (AWC) and Mythic Dungeon Invitational (MDI) Grand Finals run across both days of BlizzCon, with $600,000 combined on the line. Eight teams are qualified. Here's who's playing, when, and what to watch.
The bracket
MDI — Saturday, September 12:
- 12:45 PM: Dignitas vs Big Lucky
- 2:00 PM: Liquid vs Mandatory
- 5:30 PM: Championship match (winners)
AWC — Sunday, September 13:
- 11:00 AM: F Tier vs Guild Bean
- 12:00 PM: Streamerzonegg vs One Lun Travel
- 2:00 PM: Echo vs TBD (semifinal)
- 3:00 PM: Gators Back vs TBD (semifinal)
- 5:00 PM: Championship match
Understanding the format
The MDI is a dungeon race format. Teams run the highest Mythic+ keystone they can complete, and the fastest clear wins. The finals use a bracket where two teams qualify per match — the winners of the two semifinals face off in the championship at 5:30 PM.
The AWC is PvP arena combat. 3v3 matches with a best-of format until someone takes the series. The quarterfinals (11:00 AM and 12:00 PM) feed into semifinals (2:00 PM and 3:00 PM), which feed into the championship at 5:00 PM. The "TBD" slots suggest two additional teams qualify through a play-in or the format has byes.
The favorites
MDI:
Dignitas and Liquid are the strongest names in MDI. Liquid won the last two regional events and came into this season as the team to beat. Dignitas has been running a more volatile strategy — high-risk, high-reward keystones that either pay off or fall apart. Big Lucky and Mandatory are both dark horses: Big Lucky won a qualifier, Mandatory upset two teams to get here.
AWC:
Echo is the global favorite. They've been the dominant AWC team for three seasons running, winning the spring and summer splits. F Tier has been the breakout team of the year — a young roster that pushed Echo to five games in a regional final. Streamerzonegg has a gimmick advantage: they run unconventional compositions that teams haven't prepped for.
What to watch for
- The MDI championship could come down to a single second. Dungeon races at this level are decided by cooldown management and pull-order optimization. One wrong pull = the run is over.
- AWC could be Echo's year. If Echo wins, it's their fourth consecutive AWC title. They'd join a very short list of teams to win three-plus AWC trophies.
- The crowd factor. This is the first in-person AWC/MDI since 2019. Teams haven't played to a live BlizzCon crowd in seven years. Expect a few nerves in the early rounds.
Where to watch
The Grand Finals stream on the official World of Warcraft Twitch and YouTube channels. Full coverage runs both days. $600,000 combined purse split across AWC and MDI.
Sources
- World of Warcraft news: "The AWC and MDI Grand Finals Arrive Soon at BlizzCon 2026!" (September 1, 2026)
- Blizzard BlizzCon 2026 schedule: Day 1 and Day 2 esports bracket