Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

On the new dedicated Arena Tournament realms, players can create level 70 characters of any class or race, get free epic equipment, enchantments, gold, and can customize their character’s talent build as often as desired. On these realms, the cream of the crop of PVP players can compete for glory, battling it out to claim over $200,000 in prizes!

If you haven’t signed up, you still have a chance to register in the 2008 Arena Tournament! For more information, please check out the Arena Tournament page, the F.A.Q., or our new dedicated forum!

Arena Tournament Page: http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/basics/arena/tournament/
F.A.Q: http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/basics/arena/tournament/faq.xml
Arena Tournament Forum: http://forums.wow-europe.com/board.html?forumId=3901822&sid=1

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

I provided some information on dates and things here:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5784268590&pageNo=1&sid=1#1

If you wish to take part in the 2nd qualification round which will take place after the first one finished on May 20, you will need to re-register your account.

More information on the phases is coming soon.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

The practice period will end on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 when the servers go down for maintenance and at this time, all teams will be reset to 1500 rating.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

We are currently looking into the reason behind the long queue times, and will report back as soon as we get more information.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

The tournament servers are being brought down indefinitely until we can solve the lag issues players are experiencing. We will attempt to hotfix the issue tomorrow during extended maintenance. Depending on the results of our stress test, there is a chance that a hotfix will be insufficient and we will need to patch before the tournament will continue. We are actively working to track down the issue as quickly as possible. There is currently no ETA on when the tournament realms will return.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

IRVINE, Calif. – February 14, 2008 – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans to launch a new type of tournament competition using the Arena system in World of Warcraft®, its popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The tournaments will take place on special realms that allow competitors to instantly create level-70 characters with epic equipment, placing the focus on tactics and execution rather than normal adventuring.

“eSports is one of the most exciting facets of online gaming today,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re pleased to expand World of Warcraft’s tournament options for players who want to focus mainly on the competitive aspect of the game.”

The tournaments are scheduled to start in April with two rounds of online qualifiers in Europe, South Korea, North America, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Each qualifier round will have a per-competitor entry fee — €15/£12 in Europe; 20,000 won in South Korea; $20 in North America; and NT$450 in the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau — and will run for six weeks. During this time, teams will play 3-vs.-3 matches on the tournament realm in their region, with the top four teams from each round advancing to the regional finals to compete for more than $27,000 in cash prizes. Winners from each regional will then be invited to a global championship event to compete for $120,000 in cash prizes, including a $75,000 grand prize.

Quote from: Blizzard (Source)

Can I have more than three people on my team roster?
You can participate in more than one 3v3 Arena team; however, you must meet the minimum play requirements to qualify for the tournament. Each player may only qualify for one team. If a player is a member of two qualifying teams, he or she must choose which team to play for. Each team must have three eligible participants to advance to the regional finals.

How many games do I have to play to be eligible to qualify?
Each team must play a minimum of 200 games per qualifier. Each player, including “bench players,” must participate in at least 30% of the team’s total games to be eligible to advance to the regional finals. If a team were to play the minimum of 200 games, then each player on the team would have to have played in at least 60 of those games.