StarCraft 2 WCS Finals: Prize Pool, Schedule, Twitch Drops, and How To Watch
Your definitive guide for watching the final days of the StarCraft II competitive season. The 2018 WCS Finals begin Friday and conclude at BlizzCon. Here's everything you need to know.
The 2018 World Championship Series Global Finals for StarCraft II is set to unfold over the next two weeks. The Group Stages usher in this year's BlizzCon Opening Week, with the game's top players hitting the Blizzard Arena in Burbank, CA. (The Heroes of the Storm Global Championship will be contested simultaneously in front of a live audience, while the StarCraft II matches are contested in a more intimate atmosphere.) The Group Stages will determine the finalists who will advance to BlizzCon itself in Anaheim, CA, where one player will be crowned the StarCraft II World Champion.
How much is the StarCraft II WCS Global Finals Prize Pool?
The StarCraft World Championship Series Global Finals prize pool begins at $500,000. Sales from the StarCraft II War Chest will increase the final prize pool by a currently undetermined amount. Here is how the current $500,000 pot is set to be distributed:
- 1st place - $280,000
- 2nd place - $140,000
- 3rd-4th place - $42,000
- 5th-8th place - $21,000
- 9th-16th place - $14,000
StarCraft II WCS Global Finals Group Stage Schedule
The opening Group Stage will be contested in a dual elimination format. The top two players in each group at the end of the weekend will advance to the single-elimination bracket stage at BlizzCon.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
StarCraft II WCS Global Finals 2018 Top 8 Bracket Stage
Here's how the Group Stages played out:
And here's the bracket for the Playoff stage:
StarCraft II WCS Global Finals Schedule
- WCS Global Finals Groups A & B: Friday, October 26, 9AM-3PM PT
- WCS Global Finals Groups C & D: Saturday, October 27, 9AM-3PM PT
- WCS Global Finals Winners & Decider matches: Sunday, October 28, 9AM-5PM PT
- WCS Global Finals Quarterfinals: Friday, November 2, 12:30-6:30PM PT
- KSL vs. ASL StarCraft Remastered Exhibition: Friday, November 2, 6:30PM PT
- WCS Global Finals Semifinals & Finals: Saturday, November 3, 2-8PM PT
North America can check out all of the action either through the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket or for free via Twitch.
StarCraft II WCS Global Finals 2018 Twitch Drops
StarCraft II's WCS Global Finals 2018 will air live on Twitch. Those who watch the action and have active Blizzard accounts linked to their Twitch account are eligible to receive special drops. These include:
- An Alarak Portrait for four hours viewed
- A James "Sirius" Sykes Portrait for eight hours viewed
- A 2018 WCS Finals Emoji Pack and the Heaven's Devils Spray for 12 hours viewed
In addition, Blizzard will randomly award 2,000 lucky viewers each hour with a new race Banner. Viewers must tune in for a minimum of one hour to be eligible for this prize.
How to watch the StarCraft II WCS Global Finals VODs
Blizzard will regularly update the StarCraft Esports YouTube channel with full matches that can be viewed on demand.
