WARDOGS League: How the AE WARDOGS League Works and How to Join
A free competitive league for WARDOGS: teams of thirty, three factions a match, a knockout in waves on Friday and Saturday nights. Season 1 starts on Friday 23 October 2026.
The AE WARDOGS League is a free, community-run competitive league for WARDOGS. Teams of thirty play King of the Hill, three factions to a match, infantry only, on dedicated US East servers every Friday and Saturday night. Season 1 starts on Friday 23 October 2026.
How a night works
The league is a knockout played in waves. A wave is three group matches played at the same time, one per server, with three teams in each match and one team per faction. The three group winners meet in the wave final.
- Win your group and you play the wave final.
- Lose and you are out of that wave. Sign back in to the queue before last call and you are in the draw for the next wave.
- Nothing is played for a consolation place.
- A night holds two waves, eight matches in all. A season is four weekends of two nights each.
How a match is won
The first faction to 100 zone points wins. There is no clock and no draw. Placings go by score, then kills, then fewer deaths.
When it is played
- Fridays: kickoff 7:00 PM US Eastern, doors open an hour before.
- Saturdays: kickoff 6:00 PM US Eastern, doors open an hour before.
- Season 1: four weekends from Friday 23 October 2026. The full calendar is on the fixtures page.
The first wave of a night is drawn when the doors open. Every locked team goes into the queue automatically, so nobody misses their first game through a slow click.
How to join
- Sign in through Steam on wardogsarena.com.
- Start a team and send your players the invite link, or join a team that has sent you one. A team locks at thirty players, and a roster can carry a bench of up to forty.
- Playing alone? Enter the draft as a solo player. The free agent pool drafts itself into balanced teams of thirty, and captains can ask agents to join.
Entry is free.
The referee
Matches are run by software. It tosses the map with a published commitment so the toss can be checked afterwards, sets the join password, locks every player to their side, reads the score every two seconds and posts results to Discord.
Ratings and stats
Teams carry a three-way Elo rating. Players get a rating from kills, deaths, headshots and their team's placing. Every result lands on the table and the leaderboard, and every team and player has a public page.
Attendance
Check-in opens 48 hours before kickoff. Declaring an absence six hours out is excused. A rostered player who does not show gets a black mark, and the rulebook sets out what marks mean for a player and a team.
Find out more
- Rules: format, sign-up, the draft, attendance, ratings, conduct and appeals.
- Teams: who has signed up for Season 1.
- Servers: the three league boxes and what they are running now.
- New to the game? Start with the beginner guide, and catch up on what is new in Season 02.
Is there a competitive WARDOGS league?
Yes. The AE WARDOGS League at wardogsarena.com is a free, community-run league: teams of thirty, three factions a match, King of the Hill, infantry only, on US East servers every Friday and Saturday night.
When does the AE WARDOGS League start?
Season 1 starts on Friday 23 October 2026 and runs for four weekends. Friday kickoff is 7:00 PM US Eastern and Saturday kickoff is 6:00 PM US Eastern.
How do I join a WARDOGS league as a solo player?
Sign in through Steam on wardogsarena.com and enter the draft. The free agent pool drafts itself into balanced teams of thirty, and captains can ask agents to join.
How many players are on a WARDOGS league team?
Thirty take the field. A team locks at thirty players and a roster can carry a bench of up to forty.
How is a WARDOGS league match won?
The first faction to 100 zone points wins. There is no clock and no draw, and placings go by score, then kills, then fewer deaths.
Does the AE WARDOGS League cost anything?
No. Entry is free. You need WARDOGS on Steam to play.