2026 USA TEAM FORMATION PROCESS
Overview
This document describes the 2026 USA Team Formation Process, which is the method
which will be used to select players and form teams for the 2026 USA Warmachine
World Team Championship (“WTC”) teams. The purpose of the USA Team Formation
Process is to form the most competitive teams possible, while doing so in a manner that
is fair, transparent, and equitable.
The WTC event is governed by the World Team Championship Organization (“WTCO”).
Eligibility
Residents of the United States may apply to play for the USA WTC teams. Because the
USA can only send between 2 and 3 teams to the WTC, selection is highly competitive.
In order to be selected for a team, every player must comply with the Expectations and
Application Requirements described below.
Expectations
A potential USA Team player should only submit an application if they are confident that
they can fulfill the obligations expected of a USA Team Member.
All USA Team Members must be able to travel to the WTC event and must have the
financial capability to cover the entire cost of their trip, including travel and registration
costs. The cost of the trip (including airfare, accommodations, and registration) is
typically at least $3,000 to $5,000. Team Captains and all Team Members should be
prepared to cover all expenses associated with the event and travel. Additionally, all
USA Team Members are expected to make a serious effort to travel and play
Warmachine as part of the preparation for WTC; USA Team Members should expect to
spend upwards of $5,000 traveling domestically during the preparation cycle for WTC.
Team Members are expected to actively communicate with their fellow Team Members
and with the USA WTC Committee. Team Members are expected to spend the time,
effort, and resources necessary to be well practiced and prepared to play at the WTC
event. Team Members should also be prepared to travel to at least one of the three
major 5-player team events during the year they are selected. Team Members are
expected to exhibit high levels of sportsmanship.
Application Requirements
Anyone who is a resident of the United States can apply to be a player or Captain of a
USA WTC Team. Each Applicant must submit a Player Resume and a Player Application. Player Resumes and Player Applications will be due by January 30, 2026
and should be submitted via Google Form.
Player Resumes are required so that the committee can share each Applicant’s
competitive history with the community. Each Applicant’s answer on their Player
Application should correspond to an entry in their Player Resume. Player Resumes
must include an active link to the Applicant’s personal Longshanks profile. The
committee may seek to verify information provided by Applicants.
Player Resumes shall list and detail the Applicant’s entire competitive event history,
which may include tournament wins and participation in nationally recognized Pinnacle
tournaments, Invitational tournaments, 5-Player Team tournaments, and 3-Player Team
tournaments.
Pinnacle tournaments are tournaments (anywhere in the world) which utilize the
prevailing point level and competitive format of their time, and which are intended to
represent the pinnacle of competitive play for the event at which they are held. For
example, a sanctioned Iron Gauntlet Qualifier tournament is considered to be a Pinnacle
tournament; likewise, the marquee or “main event” competitive steamroller held at a
convention would qualify as a Pinnacle tournament. Tournament wins are defined as
any tournament in which the player placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
Invitational tournaments are tournaments (anywhere in the world) in which participation
is limited to players who won or accumulated enough points at separate preceding
qualifier tournaments. Nationally recognized Invitational tournaments include, but are
not limited to, the Iron Gauntlet, the Warfaire Weekend Invitational, and the Warmachine
Weekend Invitational.
5-Player Team tournaments are team tournaments where each team is composed of 5
players, which utilize the WTC format and rules. Nationally recognized 5-Player Team
tournaments include, but are not limited to, the World Team Championship (WTC), the
Americas Team Championship (ATC), the Bokur Brawl Team Tournament, and the
Dragon’s Fury Team Tournament.
3-Player Team tournaments are team tournaments where each team is composed of 3
players, and the tournament is intended to represent the pinnacle of competitive play,
rather than a casual or narrative play experience. Nationally recognized 3-Player Team
tournaments include, but are not limited to, the CaptainCon NETT 3-Player Team
tournament, Siege Invitational, and the Stumptown Showdown. Player Resumes may
also include any community organization or leadership activities that the Applicant has
engaged in within the context of Warmachine. This information shall be listed in its own
section, after the competitive events history.
Player Resumes will be posted publicly on the USA WTC website. Player Resumes and
Player Applications which are submitted mainly for the purpose of humor will not be
posted on the USA WTC website, and any such application will be summarily rejected.
The committee is the final arbiter of whether an event counts as a Nationally Recognized
event. The committee reserves the right to exclude an event from a player’s Resume
and Application if the committee believes that the event fails to meet the standard of
recognition necessary to be included. A player will be notified of the committee’s
decision to exercise this right before results are posted.
Selection Process
The Selection Process will be based upon the responses provided in each Applicant’s
Player Application form. The questions contained in the Player Application are designed
to assess each Applicant’s competitive strength and experience, their work ethic and
commitment, their flexibility as players, and their overall readiness to travel and compete
abroad.
When answering each question within the Player Application, each Applicant must limit
their responses to nationally recognized Pinnacle, Invitational, and 3-player and 5-player
Team tournaments, as described in the Application Requirements section of this
document.
Each answer within the Player Application has a numeric value assigned to it. Each
Applicant will be given a Player Score which is the sum of their answers to the questions
within the Player Application. The 30 Applicants with the highest Player Scores will form
the Pool of Eligible Players. In the event of a tie for the 30th spot within the Pool of
Eligible Players, up to 5 players with the same tied score will be entered into the pool
(expanding the Pool of Eligible Players up to 35 players). If a tie persists beyond 35
players, the committee will break the tie through whatever means they see fit.
At the beginning of the Player Application, Applicants will be asked whether they are
willing to serve as a Captain, and whether they are willing to serve as an Alternate
Player. Neither of these questions will affect the Player Score.
The Committee reserves the right to disqualify a player from the Pool of Eligible Players
due to factors not contained within the Player Application. This right shall be exercised
only in rare circumstances (such as documented incidents which raise a concern as to
the players’ integrity), and shall only be exercised after due weight and consideration of
the issues involved. If the Committee disqualifies a player from the Pool of Eligible
Players, that player will immediately be notified of the decision (including the reason for
the decision) and, if requested by the disqualified player, the Committee shall provide a
written and public explanation as to why that decision was made.
Once the Pool of Eligible Players has been established, 3 Captains will be selected. To
select the Captains, each player within the Pool of Eligible Players who answered yes to the first question (Do you want to be considered for Team Captain?) will be placed into
the Captain Pool. Each player within the Captain Pool will be ranked according to their
Player Scores.
The player within the Captain Pool with the highest Player Score will be selected as First
Captain. The First Captain will then select 4 players from the Pool of Eligible Players to
form Team One. After Team One has been formed, the player within the Captain Pool
with the next highest Player Score will be selected as Second Captain. The Second
Captain will then select 4 players from the remaining 24 players within the Pool of
Eligible Players to form Team Two. After Team Two has been formed, the player within
the Captain Pool with the next highest Player Score will be selected as Third Captain.
The Third Captain will then select 4 players from the remaining 19 players within the
Pool of Eligible Players to form Team Three.
Each captain will have up to 72 hours from the time that they are notified to form their
team.
The number of teams that the USA is allotted to send to the WTC each year varies
based upon a number of factors, pursuant to the rules of the WTCO. In the event that
the USA is only allotted two teams for 2026, only Team One and Team Two will attend;
Team 3 will be disbanded. In the unfortunate event that Team Three is disbanded,
players may not list membership on Team 3 for the purpose of future WTC applications.
Prepayment as defined by the WTCO is due for each team upon selection. Team
Captains and Team Members will be contacted directly within 24 hours of selection, and
every effort will be made to form all three teams in a timely manner. In the event that the
USA is not granted a third team, Team Three’s prepayment will be returned.
Team Captains
Each USA WTC Team must have a Team Captain. The Team Captains will be
responsible for leading their team’s training and preparation, and directing
communications between their team and the USA WTC Committee. Each Team Captain
will also be responsible for either personally handling or delegating the task of managing
the pairing process during the WTC.
If a player drops from a USA WTC Team after teams are formed, the Team Captain of
that team may select their replacement from the Pool of Eligible Players.
Alternate Players
Alternate Players are an important aspect of WTC Team Formation, and each Team is
expected to select an Alternate Player if available. Alternate Players prepare, train, and
travel with their team to the WTC, and (pursuant to the rules of the WTCO charter) are
available to substitute in when a Team’s players becomes unavailable to play at the
event.
After all 3 Teams are formed, the 6 Applicants with the highest Player Scores who also
indicated that they are willing to serve as Alternate Players will form the Alternate Player
Pool.
Beginning with the First Captain, each Team Captain shall select one Alternate Player
from the Alternate Player Pool. If there are no players available within the Alternate
Player Pool, then a Team Captain may select an Alternate Player from any source,
without restriction.
A Team Captain must submit their Alternate Player’s lists for WTC list submission
pursuant to the WTCO rules.
WTC Team USA 