Editing World Classic Paintball League

The '''World Classic Paintball League''' ('''WCPL''') is an American [[Paintball|paintball]] tournament circuit specialising in classic capture-the-flag competition. Its earliest documented United States season was in 2022. Ten-player competition has been the principal format, with five-player results recorded in 2022 and a seven-player tournament added to the US calendar in 2025.[1][2][3]

== History and organisation ==
The WCPL was organised as a collective of tournament promoters. Individual promoters administer their events within a shared competition framework. The league's directory associates [[Fred Schultz]] with the California Classic, Dan Colby and Steve Preskill with the Panhandle Classic, Tim Schloss with Gateway and [[Jim Lively]] with the Gold Rush Classic. Schultz was also the listed contact for the 2025 Wisconsin Classic.[3][4][5]

The league's first documented US season opened at Combat Zone Paintball Park in Oroville, California, on 5–6 February 2022. Its results archive includes the ICC/Montressor Classic, which PBLeagues also records under the Iron City Classic. The event contributed to both the WCPL's Open ten-player and five-player standings.[1][2][6][7]

The [[International Classic Paintball League]] (ICPL) maintains a separate competition programme and results archive. Both circuits have used traditional ten-player formats.[1][8]

== Competition formats ==
The WCPL's published programme covers woodland, [[Hyperball]] and earth-mound fields. Under its standard ten-player rules, each team starts with a flag station. A team scores two points for each opponent eliminated, one for each of its own players remaining, twenty for the first opposing flag pull and fifty for hanging the opposing flag. The rulebook provides for adjusted scoring in five-player and seven-player games.[6][9]

The general competition guide describes twelve-minute games and eight preliminary games per team. Event listings can specify different limits, including the ten-minute games advertised at the 2023 Montressor Classic.[5][10]

The league promotes mechanical markers. Its general guidance permits electronic markers capped at 5.5 balls per second and allows magazine-fed markers subject to the equipment rules. First Strike projectiles are prohibited under that guidance. Individual events can set stricter conditions, as at the 2026 Hate City Open, which used mechanical markers.[5][11]

== Classification and rankings ==
The WCPL used an '''Open''' classification in 2022 and proposed using season seeding to identify professional teams for 2023. The published 2023 standings contain a single Open 10v10 division. The four event listings in the 2024 archive also use the Open ten-player classification. A separate professional championship or confirmed promotion list remains unverified.[1][2][5][12]

The league stated that it used its own classification rules within APPA/PBLeagues and that WCPL participation did not affect a player's ranking at other events administered through that system.[5][9]

== United States seasons ==
The calendars below distinguish events with recorded results from announced rounds whose outcomes remain unverified. The linked season and event articles contain the detailed results.

=== 2022 ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Dates
! Event
! Location
! Recorded Open 10v10 winner[1][2]
|-
| 5–6 February
| [[2022 WCPL California Classic|California Classic]]
| Oroville, California
| Master Blasters
|-
| 19–20 March
| [[2022 WCPL Florida 10-man Classic|Florida 10-man Classic]]
| Hudson, Florida
| Team Farside
|-
| 3–5 June
| [[2022 WCPL New York Classic|New York Classic]]
| Clintondale, New York
| All Americans
|-
| 29–31 July
| [[2022 WCPL ICC/Montressor Classic|ICC/Montressor Classic]]
| Clintondale, New York
| Master Blasters
|-
| 15–16 October
| [[2022 WCPL Gateway Open|Gateway Open]]
| Bridgeton, Missouri
| Phenoms
|}

In the [[2022 WCPL season]], [[Master Blasters]] finished first in Open 10v10 with 420.23 points, including 89.41 referee points. All-Americans 2 placed second with 273.21 and [[Lockout]] third with 197.65. AlbanyPower Surge Black led Open 5v5 with 100 points from the single recorded five-player round, the ICC/Montressor Classic.[2]

=== 2023 ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Dates
! Event
! Location
! Recorded Open 10v10 winner or status[1][12][13]
|-
| 18–19 February
| [[2023 WCPL Southern California Classic|Southern California Classic]]
| Moorpark, California
| Dynasty Old School
|-
| 1–2 April
| [[2023 WCPL Panhandle Classic|Panhandle Classic]]
| Holt, Florida
| Juggernauts
|-
| 9–11 June
| [[2023 WCPL New York Classic|New York Classic]]
| Clintondale, New York
| All Americans
|-
| 29–30 July
| [[2023 WCPL Montressor Classic|Montressor Classic]]
| Newark, Illinois
| Colorado United Black
|-
| 5–6 August
| [[2023 WCPL California Classic|California Classic]]
| Nicolaus, California
| Black Sunday
|-
| 14–15 October
| [[2023 WCPL Saint Louis Gateway Classic|Saint Louis Gateway Classic]]
| Bridgeton, Missouri
| Announced. No result in the season standings.
|}

Toxic Teddys led the recorded [[2023 WCPL season|2023 Open 10v10 standings]] with 297.75 points, followed by Ironmen on 270.22 and Team Crowley WCPL on 174.62. PBLeagues records five rounds and labels Panhandle as '''Florida Open'''. Paintball Media advertised coverage of the Gateway Classic in its November issue, but the event's placings and any effect on the season standings remain unverified.[12][14]

=== 2024 ===
The [[2024 WCPL season|2024 calendar]] listed four Open ten-player tournaments.[1]

* 23 March — [[2024 WCPL Southern California Classic]], SC Village Paintball Park, Corona, California.
* 6–7 April — [[2024 WCPL Florida Open]], Panhandle Paintball, Holt, Florida.
* 10–11 August — [[2024 WCPL California Classic]], Shooter's All Season Paintball and Airsoft, Nicolaus, California.
* 12–13 October — [[2024 WCPL St. Louis Classic]], Gateway Paintball Park, Bridgeton, Missouri.

The Florida final-round score sheet records Schlactet Die Gebrmutter defeating MechKats 47–6 and Maynards Arsenal drawing 16–16 with gg_Factory Mech. Final placings for the other three events and a 2024 season champion remain unverified. The PBLeagues season page displays no points table despite the scored Florida matches.[15][16]

=== 2025 ===
The [[2025 WCPL season|2025 calendar]] added Jim Lively's seven-player Gold Rush Classic to three ten-player tournaments.[3]

* 3–4 May — [[2025 WCPL Panhandle Classic]], Panhandle Paintball, Holt, Florida. Paintball Dirt reported LA Xtreme first, SDG second and Semi Serious third.[17]
* 2 August — [[2025 WCPL Wisconsin Classic]], Commando Paintball Sports, Little Suamico, Wisconsin. The event was advertised, with completion and results unverified.[3][17]
* 6–7 September — [[2025 WCPL Jim Lively's Gold Rush Classic|Jim Lively's Gold Rush Classic]], Splat Action Paintball, Molalla, Oregon. LA Hitmen's team record lists first place. Full standings remain unverified.[3][18]
* 11–12 October — [[2025 WCPL Gateway Classic]], Gateway Paintball, Bridgeton, Missouri. The January 2026 issue announcement from Paintball Media lists Gateway Classic coverage. Placings remain unverified.[3][19]

Published season standings and a 2025 season champion remain unverified.[1][3]

=== 2026 ===
The [[2026 WCPL season|2026 calendar]] announced five US rounds and an entry limit of eighteen teams per event.[20]

* 18–19 April — [[2026 WCPL Hate City Open]], Tallapoosa Paintball, Tallapoosa, Georgia. The league announced the event as the Hate City Classic. The host's recap uses Hate City Open, dates the event to 17–19 April and records The Misfits winning the twelve-team tournament.[11][20]
* 13–14 June — [[2026 WCPL Panhandle Classic]], Panhandle Paintball, Holt, Florida. An advance participant post described ten-player competition. A later participant account places the event at the announced venue. Placings remain unverified.[20][21][22]
* 8–9 August — [[2026 WCPL Wisconsin Classic]], Commando Paintball Sports, Little Suamico, Wisconsin. Advertised as ten-player.[20]
* 5–6 September — [[2026 WCPL Jim Lively's Gold Rush Classic|Jim Lively's Gold Rush Classic]], Splat Action Paintball, Molalla, Oregon. Advertised as seven-player.[20]
* 10–11 October — [[2026 WCPL Gateway Classic]], Gateway Paintball, Bridgeton, Missouri. Advertised as ten-player.[20]

Completion and results for Wisconsin, Gold Rush and Gateway remain unverified. The public PBLeagues archive lists WCPL events through 2024. A 2026 points table and season champion remain unverified.[1][20]

== See also ==
* [[Paintball in the United States]]
* [[History of tournament paintball]]
* [[Woodsball]]
* [[Mechanical paintball]]

== References ==
# [https://pbleagues.com/leagues/502 World Classic Paintball League event archive, PBLeagues.]
# [https://mlpb.pbleagues.com/league/502/seasonRankings/2022 2022 World Classic Paintball League season rankings, PBLeagues.]
# [https://www.playwcpl.com/events53c610ef 2025 Events, World Classic Paintball League, updated April 2025.]
# [https://www.playwcpl.com/league-promoters League Promoters, World Classic Paintball League.]
# [https://www.playwcpl.com/faq Frequently Asked Questions, World Classic Paintball League.]
# [https://www.playwcpl.com/events 2022 event calendar, World Classic Paintball League.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/leagues/381 Iron City Classic event archive, PBLeagues.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/leagues/435 International Classic Paintball League event archive, PBLeagues.]
# [https://www.playwcpl.com/rules WCPL Official Rules, World Classic Paintball League.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/7964 Montressor Classic event information, PBLeagues, July 2023.]
# [https://tallapoosapaintball.com/hatecityopen Hate City Open 2026, Tallapoosa Paintball, official event recap.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/502/seasonRankings/2023 2023 World Classic Paintball League season rankings, PBLeagues.]
# [https://www.playwcpl.com/upcoming-events Upcoming Events, World Classic Paintball League, 29 June 2023.]
# [https://paintball.media/november-2023-issue-of-paintball-media-magazine-is-live-free/ November 2023 issue announcement, Paintball Media, 9 November 2023.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/8318/scores Florida Open match scores, PBLeagues, April 2024.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/502/seasonRankings/2024 2024 World Classic Paintball League season-ranking page, PBLeagues.]
# [https://paintballdirt.substack.com/p/weekly-newsletter-ft-the-leftovers Brandon Olson, “Weekly Newsletter ft. The Leftovers”, Paintball Dirt, 19 May 2025.]
# [https://teamlahitmen.com/ LA Hitmen official team website, published competition achievements.]
# [https://paintball.media/january-2026-issue-of-paintball-media-magazine-is-live-free/ January 2026 issue announcement, Paintball Media, 9 January 2026.]
# [https://www.playwcpl.com/ 2026 event calendar, World Classic Paintball League, updated February 2026.]
# [https://www.reddit.com/r/paintball/comments/1t6j2zb/wcpl_world_classic_paintball_league_event_2/ Panhandle Classic advance participant post, r/paintball, 2026.]
# [https://www.reddit.com/r/paintball/comments/1vtqzwi/this_is_42/ “This is 42”, Panhandle Classic participant account, r/paintball, 20–21 August 2026.]

== External links ==
* [https://www.playwcpl.com/ World Classic Paintball League official website]

[[Category:American paintball leagues]]
[[Category:American paintball tournament series]]