The players are ready, and the world will be watching. World Championship 32 is on the horizon, and it's set to be a celebration of everything we love about competitive Magic—and a fitting cap to a year of high-stakes tournaments that will crown the newest World Champion. The action arrives at MagicCon: Atlanta on November 13–15, 2026, where players will compete in Standard Constructed and Booster Draft for the title, trophy, and prestige.
Beyond the main event, we'll also be inducting three legends of Magic into the Pro Tour Hall of Fame and deciding the Player of the Year. Pair that with all the exciting announcements that will be coming out of MagicCon, and you've got a weekend you won't want to miss.
What Is the World Championship?
Three Pro Tours and a year's worth of Magic events have led to this: the World Championship! The best of the best in competitive Magic will converge upon one convention hall for the chance to claim one of the most prestigious titles in the game. After three days of Magic with the highest stakes imaginable, we'll crown the newest World Champion and honor them with the fully bloomed Black Lotus trophy.
The invitation list is available online (and subject to change).
What Are the Formats and Prizes?
World Championship 32 will feature Standard Constructed and Magic: The Gathering® | Star Trek™ Draft. As the final premier Standard event before rotation, this will test players' knowledge and skill with over three years of cards. Additionally, Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek will be a fresh Limited environment, as the set releases on November 13—just in time for the start of the event!
Players will compete for a variety of prizes, including their share of a staggering $1,000,000 prize pool. Each competitor will also receive a non-foil Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student promo card featuring art by Ampreh. The Top 32 players at this event will also receive a traditional foil copy of this promo card.
Beyond the glory and prestige of victory (the most important prize of all), the winner of World Championship 32 will receive a Black Lotus–themed trophy, depicting Magic's most powerful flower in full bloom. Additionally, they'll work with the Magic Design team on a future card that will bear their likeness and name, immortalizing them in the game they love. Competitors who finish in the Top 8 will receive invitations to each Pro Tour and the World Championship in the upcoming competitive season.
The winner of World Championship 32 will receive a grand prize of $100,000. All competitors will receive $4,000 regardless of how they place. A full prize table will be published the week of the event.
Where and When Can I Watch the World Championship?
We'll be streaming all three days of World Championship 32, running from November 13–15, at MagicCon: Atlanta. You can follow along on the official Play MTG YouTube channel or twitch.tv/magic.
On Friday and Saturday—November 13 and 14—the broadcast begins at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT/1 a.m. JST the following day) with three rounds of Draft followed by four rounds of Standard Constructed. The broadcast begins with a featured drafter to follow into their Round 1 gameplay. As we continue the broadcast, we'll catch up to the tournament, showing games from every round and reducing downtime until we're pacing live gameplay on a short delay.
On Sunday, November 15, for the Top 8 playoff, the broadcast begins at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. PT/12 a.m. JST the following day) with all four quarterfinal matches, followed by the semifinal matches and the finals of World Championship 32. All matches in the Top 8 will feature Standard Constructed.
What Else Is Part of the World Championship?
We're honoring more than just the World Champion this weekend! The results of this event will determine this season's Player of the Year. Awarded to the competitor with the most Player of the Year Points at the conclusion of the season, this award pulls from the results of all three Pro Tours of the season in addition to World Championship 32. The player who walks away with this title will also receive the Kai Budde Player of the Year trophy, a stunning prize named after one of the all-time greats of Magic. By the end of the weekend, we'll know who our Player of the Year will be and will celebrate their title at Pro Tour Nauctis next year.
Three of Magic's most famous and skilled players will receive the honor of a lifetime. On Sunday, November 15, Javier Dominguez, Ken Yukuhiro, and Jean-Emmanuel Depraz will all be inducted into the Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame. We'll honor the journeys that brought them to this achievement and look to where they're headed next. For more information on the inductees, check out this article.
The Story of World Championship 32
The formats are set, the players are ready, and the teams are ironing their jerseys in preparation for the event of a lifetime. As we prepare to launch into 2026's biggest weekend of competitive Magic, here's what you need to know about the key players and cards of this event.
Not Only, But Also—The Meaning of the World Championship
Not Only—A Titanic Tournament: World Championship 32, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 13–15, is one of the four most prestigious events on 2026's Magic calendar. Each player, whether they're arriving from a Regional Championship success, a Pro Tour Top 8 appearance, or a sustained season of excellence, wants to walk away with the title of World Champion.
But Also—The Buck Stops Here: It's more than the World Championship title on the line, because this marks the end of the 2026 season. Requalifying for events next year, the Player of the Year title up for grabs, bragging rights as the standout team of the season—everything gets resolved over three days of high-intensity gaming.
Not Only—Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek Draft: Both Friday and Saturday begin with three rounds of Draft, featuring the latest Universes Beyond set. We'll see the new cards in action, including Spacecraft, any number of strange new worlds, and plenty of legendary creatures. And those Draft rounds are going to be critical. On Day One, players will need to reach four wins out of seven matches to advance to Day Two, so a sluggish start is far from ideal.
But Also—Showcasing Standard: Even the 3-0 drafters will need Standard wins to advance, and the last four rounds on Saturday also feature Standard. And, for the lucky few, the Top 8 will test their Standard skills. Mono-Green Landfall, Dimir Midrange, and Izzet Spellementals have seen recent success at the top tables, but the World Championship often delivers a seismic shakeup to the 60-card format.
Not Only—Christoffer Larsen: The ever-popular Dane has led the Player of the Year race from the start. He followed victory at Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed with another trip to the finals at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven. Sure, he "only" went 9-7 in Amsterdam, but his lead in the race is substantial. A third Top 8 appearance would guarantee the title.
But Also—The Chasing Pack: Yes, there are plenty who could chase Larsen down. But will they? Any one of the fourteen challengers will need at least a Top 8 spot on Sunday, even if Larsen doesn't reach Day Two. Eduardo Sajgalik and Alex Rohan have the best chances of the chasing pack, with three more powerhouses of recent Magic history just behind them in Yuuki Ichikawa, Nathan Steuer (the Larsen-beating champion of Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven), and Toni Portolan (who nearly claimed Player of the Year last season). Reigning Player of the Year Ken Yukuhiro and Arne Huschenbeth are among the outsiders, but this could be a year that the leader gets it done. Larsen versus fourteen: Who wins?
Not Only—Familiar Faces: Adjusted Match Points across the season ensure that 32 highly seasoned competitors will join the World Championship fray. Ian Robb has multiple Pro Tour Top 8 appearances. Quinn Tonole made the Top 8 of 2024's World Championship 30. France's Alexey Paulot may not yet have a dominant finish, but he has a remarkable Draft record of 21 wins and 3 losses across his four major events. Nicholas Odenheimer came to prominence when he won the first-ever Spotlight Series event, and Eli Kassis has made every Day Two (fifteen of them) since the return to major tabletop events in 2023.
But Also—Hotter Than the Sun: Many in the field know they can run hot, because they've done it before. Alongside Regional Champions, there are 1st-place finishers from Magic Online and MTG Arena representing the digital realm of competitive Magic. Then there's the full Top 8 from last year, coming back for another tilt at the title. Could reigning titleholder Seth Manfield go the distance once again?
Not Only—The Big Four Teams: Cosmos Heavy Play, TCGplayer, Handshake Moxfield, and Moriyama Japan have continued to dominate the team scene. That said, if we're looking for dominance, it's hard to look past Cosmos. That's not surprising when you have three of the first four finalists in the season, but it goes deeper than that. Their roster for Atlanta is spectacular, boasting (in addition to Larsen and Steuer) Javier Dominguez, Eli Kassis, Michael Plummer, and Luis Salvatto (all major champions), plus a supporting cast who would be headliners on many teams. Every one of the thirteen team members has a legitimate chance at making the Top 8. Come Sunday, it could be a Cosmos world that we're all living in.
But Also—The Challengers: Kellen Pastore leads Team Drawing Board, a blend of mostly North American and Australian talent, including Nicholas Talbot, who has been one of the serious new performers on the scene this season. Tase Dojo may lack the star names of Moriyama Japan, but they include one of last year's finalists, Akira Shibata. And then there's Undying Baguette, the distinctly Gallic team, led by Jean-Emmanuel Depraz. Speaking of which …
Not Only—Hall of Fame Inductees: Javier Dominguez, Ken Yukuhiro, and Jean-Emmanuel Depraz will begin World Championship 32 knowing that, whatever the outcome at the feature match tables, they'll be joining the Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame on Sunday. Both Dominguez (at 2018's World Championship and World Championship 30) and Depraz (at Magic World Championship XXIX) have held the trophy, while Yukuhiro's crowning moment came when he won Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ last year en route to becoming Player of the Year. Win, lose, or draw, it's going to be an emotional ride for these three.
But Also—More Hall of Fame Standouts: Seth Manfield, Shuhei Nakamura, Shota Yasooka, and Lee Shi Tian. If Manfield wins back-to-back titles, it would put him in the conversation for one of the absolute greatest of all time. It's fitting that on the weekend Ken Yukuhiro joins the Hall of Fame, two of the best from Japan will be on hand, battling in the trenches for another signature finish. And Lee Shi Tian will represent the Asia-Pacific region with great skill, especially in the Constructed rounds.
Not Only—The Sunday Top 8: Once the Saturday dust settles, the World Championship starts to look like a regular Pro Tour. You know the drill: four quarterfinals, using the same Standard format and decks as the first two days, best three games out of five to advance, and sideboards coming into action after Game 2 during the Top 8.
But Also—The Hall of Fame Ceremony: Ahead of the finals, we'll gather on stage to honor Javier Dominguez, Ken Yukuhiro, and Jean-Emmanuel Depraz. Surrounded by family, friends, players, and fans from around the world attending MagicCon: Atlanta, we'll reflect on three stellar careers and hear what it means to join this exclusive group. And who knows, maybe at least one of the three will still have one match to play?
Not Only—The News Desk Team: Bringing you all the insight and analysis is our news desk team, led as always by Maria Bartholdi. Running the numbers will be Mani Davoudi, while Riley Knight will talk to the players in the heart of the action. Tannon Grace will take us inside the biggest Constructed matches and hear directly from the players as they prepare to do battle.
But Also—In the Booth: With a special focus on the Limited rounds, Marshall Sutcliffe and Paul Cheon will take us through the featured drafts and all the action Limited can muster. Meanwhile, leading our Standard coverage across the first two days will be Eilidh Lonie and Corey Baumeister, unveiling the new metagame and making sense of the new Standard landscape.
Not Only, But Also, Not Only, But Also, Not Only, But Also—An Incredible Weekend Ahead: There are so many reasons to join us on our final stop of the 2026 season. Not only will there be all the excitement that comes with a premier competitive event, but also a level of prestige and drama you'll only find at the World Championship. "Not only, but also" really does apply more to the World Championship than to any other event in our year. When it comes down to it, though, "not," "but," and "also" won't matter.
Just "only," as in only one World Champion.
See you there.
Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek Draft Overview
Previews for Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek just wrapped up, and it's looking to be a thrilling Limited environment for competitive and casual players alike. Some things look traditional, like the ten two-color draft archetypes and strategies like black-red aggro, while others break from the norm and offer a challenge to eager deck builders.
The set's draft archetypes encourage synergistic decks that use build-arounds to their maximum potential. Here, power doesn't lie in singularly impactful cards. It manifests from a bit of clever deck building and knowledge of the Limited environment. Rather than asking, "What card is the best?" drafters should ask, "What card serves the archetype that is open to me?" Spacecraft decks will want the creatures that are best for stationing their permanents; dilemma decks should prioritize modal spells; strange new worlds decks may take an off-color land for the sole purpose of powering up
Notably, World Championship 32 coincides with the global tabletop release of this set. Players will have had less than 72 hours to draft the set on MTG Arena and about a week's worth of post-Prerelease testing. Everyone will be coming in fresh, so expect the unexpected!
Standard at World Championship 32
Standard, Magic's most popular 60-card Constructed format, has seen plenty of changes over the past few years, ebbing and flowing with the release of more sets than ever before. At World Championship 32, over 20 sets will be legal in Standard. The sheer quantity of cards in the format has raised its power level and forced deck builders to reassess the format with each release.
While the last two major Standard events—Arena Championship 13 and Magic Spotlight: Fracture—did not feature Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek, their fields indicated that we're in store for quite the weekend. The old favorites have been toppled, and it's time for new forces to rise.
Eddymurk Crab
Shoot the Sheriff
Inti, Seneschal of the Sun
Sazh's Chocobo
Following the banning of
Biotech Specialist
Jund Sacrifice is a prime example of how such a large Standard environment can produce fresh decks.
Liliana the Faultless
New releases, like Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek, may provide previously second-rate or underrated archetypes with the tools they need to take on the top tables. Take Gage Fevold's Orzhov Life Gain list that won Arena Championship 13. While life-gain decks were long thought to be solely the purview of MTG Arena's Best-of-One queues, the addition of Reality Fracture's
With old cards in new roles and recent releases upending what we thought we knew about Standard, the circumstances of World Championship 32 have created a deck builder's paradise. Since our last premier Standard event, Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven in May, four sets will have entered the format, bringing nearly 1,000 cards and endless opportunities for new decks. Who knows what will show up in Atlanta?
Meet the Casters of World Championship 32
The World Championship deserves a world-class coverage team, and our crew certainly delivers! Maria Bartholdi, Mani Davoudi, and Riley Knight will command commentary from behind the desk, keeping you up to date on the latest happenings from the show floor. Marshall Sutcliffe, Paul Cheon, Corey Baumeister, and Eilidh Lonie will cover the play-by-play commentary.
In addition to live commentary on Twitch, you can follow our written coverage right here on Magic.gg! We'll share Standard decklists, metagame analysis, and wrap-ups after each day of the event.
When Will Decklists Be Published?
Standard decklists for the tournament will be published on the World Championship 32 event page on Friday, November 13, at the beginning of Round 4 gameplay. Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek Draft decklists will not be published.
Can I Co-Stream the Event?
Following Twitch's Content Sharing Guidelines, you can co-stream the World Championship broadcast from twitch.tv/magic using OBS or XSplit. This allows anyone on Twitch to cover the event in their voice and with their community. To be clear, co-streamed content is not endorsed by Wizards, and we expect anyone who participates in co-streaming to follow Wizards's Fan Content Policy.