The 2025 season has been an incredible debut for Warhammer: The Old World across the UK and Ireland. From local game stores to major tournament halls, the community has come together to celebrate the return of rank-and-file fantasy wargaming in a way that is positive, transparent, and more inclusive than ever before.

Whether you are a veteran general or a newcomer still painting your first unit of Peasant Bowmen, here is everything you need to know about our first ranked season and how you can get involved in 2026.

Before I jump into the details, I wanted to remind everyone of our friendly Discord server where you can join in the conversation with the Woehammer crew and suggest articles or series for the website.

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Please note, these rankings are not affiliated with Games Workshop, and are simply a way for the competitive community to get together and track their results.

The 2025 Season by the Numbers

The scale of the first season was immense, the largest in the world. Across the UK and Ireland, the community hosted 201 events, welcoming over 1,200 unique players. In total, more than 3,300 tournament spots were filled, proving that the hunger for The Old World is stronger than ever.

While Nottingham and London hosted the highest density of events, players from every corner of the nations took part, contributing an estimated £355,000–£500,000 to the regional economies through travel and hobby support.

More Than Just Winning: A Community-First Approach

For those who might be “rankings-wary,” it is important to know that in-person play is built on a foundation of inclusivity and social hobbying. While the competitive drive is there, the 2025 survey revealed that 71% of players attend events primarily to meet new people, and 68% attend because of their friends.

The community atmosphere has been a standout highlight of the year. Players have praised the “welcoming, friendly, and inclusive nature” of the scene, which often contrasts with more “cut-throat” environments found elsewhere. From rewarding “Best Painted” and “Passion Projects” to ensuring a healthy mix of 3-round and 5-round events, the goal is to make tournament play accessible to everyone—including busy parents and hobbyists with full-time jobs.

Find out more by taking a look at the results of our community survey, completed by a massive 207 players.

A Transparent and Fair System

Transparency is at the heart of the UK & Ireland rankings. The system is overseen by elected National Chairpersons who represent each nation, ensuring that the community has a direct voice in how the rankings are governed.

To keep things fair and clear:

• Track Your Progress: All results are tracked via oldworldrankings.com, a free tool that allows you to compare results and find upcoming events.
  
• Consistent Rules: Smaller ranked events have the freedom to cater to their communities using house rules. Major, top-scoring events tend to follow GW rules and FAQs with minor tweaks for clarity or balance to ensure out-of-the book play. Explicitly narrative, doubles and teams events are not included.
  
• Inclusive Hobbying: The scene is very comfortable with the use of non-GW models and creative hobby expressions, keeping the barrier to entry low for new players

The Grand Finale: The 2025 UK Masters in Newcastle

The Old World 2025 season reached its spectacular conclusion on the 10th–11th of January 2026, as the top-ranked players from across the nations descended upon Newcastle for the UK&I Masters.

This invitational event represented the pinnacle of tactical play, where the year’s most consistent generals faced off in a high-stakes, five-round showdown to crown the ultimate champion. The podium featured three entirely different tactical approaches, from three different, high-performing factions.

Pasha Korniyenko took the top spot, navigating the disciplined ranks of The Jade Fleet (Grand Cathay) to a well-deserved victory. Scott Reid, whose Royal Host (Tomb Kings) proved that the sands of Nehekhara are as dangerous as ever in second, while Charlie Hanley-Nickolls secured third place with a masterfully played Vampire Counts.

If you missed the tactical masterclasses or want to see the decisive manoeuvres that defined the weekend, you can catch the final game streamed live by the team at Forgotten North Gaming right here:

UK MASTERS – GAME FIVE- Charlie (Vampires) Vs Keith Wilkinson (Vampires)

Get Involved!

If you’ve been thinking about “catching the tournament bug,” there has never been a better time.

Visit: oldworldrankings.com to find your next local event.

Join: The conversation on the rankings Discord to meet fellow generals.

Organise: Reach out in the comments, on the discord or take a look at the results of the community survey to find out more about how you can organise a ranked event in your local community.

Play: Whether you lead the charge with Warriors of Chaos or Bretonnia (the most popular factions of 2025) or bring a unique “legacy” army, there is a place for you on the battlefield.

We look forward to seeing you across The Old World table in 2026!

Next: Take a look at the results from The Nottingham GT on the same weekend.