Your Path to the World Championship

WATL sanctions 4 official seasons with 8 weeks of gameplay per year, and breaks between seasons. Leagues must take place during the sanctioned season dates released by WATL.

1. Weeks 1–7 are gameplay weeks where competitors contribute toward their seasonal score.
2. Week 8 is reserved for league playoffs to determine the local champion.
3. Each week, every competitor gets 4 games.
4. Week 7 must be completed by the season-end date for league scores to be sanctioned.
   • Venues must seek approval at least 2 weeks in advance for possible extensions due to delays beyond the venue’s reasonable control.

Multiple Sanctioned Leagues

• A WATL-affiliated venue may host any number of sanctioned leagues per season.
• Competitors may participate in multiple sanctioned leagues; only their top-performing league per season is awarded Circuit Points and added to the global leaderboard.
• Competitors must use the same Player ID across all leagues.
• Exclusive leagues (any league that is not open to all competitors) can only be held as Recreational Leagues.

2. Guidelines & Requirements

If official league requirements are not met, the league will be considered a recreational league and will not be eligible for Circuit Points, or contribution to the global leaderboard.

1. Venues may hold leagues in which all 28 games are played in a single day.
2. Marathon Leagues may be held anytime during a WATL League Season.
3. Venues may host any number of Marathon Leagues per discipline within a single season.
4. A Marathon League must be held entirely within 24 hours and meet WATL minimum competitor requirements.
5. All rules about regular season play, playoffs, Circuit Points, and qualifying apply.

Resources:

• Circuit Point Distribution →
• 2026 Circuit Point Leaderboard →

World Axe Throwing Championship Qualifying Throws are available annually for Hatchet, Big Axe, and Hatchet Duals.

Rules

1. Throwers are allowed only one score submission per discipline. Scores must be submitted via the WATL app by a certified WATL judge. Self-scoring is not permitted for any reason.
2. Qualifying throws must be scored using the official WATL target designated for the championship being qualified for.
3. All throws must be recorded on video and are the responsibility of the competitor. Videos must conform to the stated format:
   • Ensure your battery is charged; if using a phone, turn on airplane mode.
   • During each throw, the competitor, fault line, and target must be visible.
   • Competitors must stay behind the fault line and wait for the score to be called before crossing.
   • Certified Judges must speak in a loud, clear, and concise voice, indicating the score of each throw.
   • The entire qualifying session must be recorded in full, continuous video, including breaks. If video is unintentionally cut off, any subsequent video must clearly show a seamless transition with no noticeable gaps. Any throws not captured on camera will not be counted during final audits.
   • Reference video for correct camera placement →
4. Videos are uploaded via YouTube or Google Drive link and submitted using the form provided within the announced timeframe. Late videos are disqualified.
5. Competitors who cannot attend a venue should review the Accessibility Considerations below.

Format

Killshots must alternate heights for Hatchet and Hatchet Duals, and alternate sides for Big Axe every attempt — same as league/tournament play.

Eligibility & Bids Awarded

Open Qualifiers are available to all WATL competitors who, within the Qualifying Year, have completed 28 games in at least 1 Standard, Marathon, or Flex League in the applicable discipline and have not already been awarded a bid to WAKTC for that Qualifying Year.

For Hatchet and Big Axe, the 28-game requirement must be satisfied within the same discipline through league play. For Hatchet Duals, competitors may satisfy the requirement by completing 28 games in either a sanctioned Hatchet or Hatchet Duals Standard, Marathon, or Flex League. Games cannot be combined across disciplines.

• Hatchet: the top 24 eligible scorers earn a bid.
• Big Axe / Hatchet Duals: the top 12 eligible scorers earn a bid for each discipline respectively.

WATL recognizes that not all competitors have the ability to attend a venue for Qualifying Throws. If a competitor meets one or more of the conditions below and wishes to participate, they must contact watl@worldaxethrowingleague.com for guidance.

1. The competitor is not within a 1-hour travel distance between their primary residence and the closest participating WATL-affiliated venue. Travel is defined as driving and ferry, but does not include public transportation or air travel.
2. No WATL-affiliated venue within a 1-hour travel distance from the competitor’s primary residence is hosting qualifying throws.
3. There are no available WATL certified judges with a valid certification during the period Open Qualifiers are available at their local venue.
4. In any of these cases, the competitor must have access to a fully compliant WATL target with sufficient lighting, internet speeds, a camera of acceptable quality, and be willing to schedule a video call (still meeting the video requirements) with a WATL-approved Certified Judge.

To maintain the integrity of the WATL Championship qualification process, Affiliates must strictly follow these guidelines when offering qualifying throw sessions.

Certified Judge Requirement

A certified tournament-level WATL judge with a valid certification at the time of scoring must oversee every qualifying session — required for both WATL-affiliated venue attempts and non-WATL-affiliated venue attempts. The judge is responsible for accurately scoring each throw and ensuring all WATL rules are followed. The judge must remain present during the entire session, visibly and audibly scoring each throw, and submitting scores in the app in real time.

Facility & Target Standards

All targets and distance lines used for qualifying throws must be compliant with relevant WATL specifications. The facility must be well-lit so all target scoring rings are clearly visible from a reasonable distance.

Fee Policy

WATL-affiliated venue attempts are priced by the hosting venue. At-home attempts are $100 each.

For qualifying throws recorded and sent in from home, WATL collects $50 of each $100 payment to cover the cost of hosting/video review. The remaining $50 is distributed back to Affiliates within 77 miles / 125 km of that individual’s primary residence, divided equally among all Affiliates within range. This offsets the benefits Affiliates would get from in-person attempts. Affiliates that don’t host qualifying throws are not eligible for this compensation.

Warm-up Throws

• If warm-up times are provided, every effort must be made to ensure they are made equally available to all competitors.
  • Times and lanes must be posted and available for all competitors and should not deviate from posted times.
  • Duration and number of available lanes must be equal for all brackets in a multi-bracket tournament.
  • Staff must be available at each lane to ensure competitors are rotating in a manner that allows all competitors an equal number of throws.
• Any additional throws are prohibited for competitors with upcoming games in any active bracket.

Match Play

Tournaments are always played in a best 2 out of 3 format (referred to as a match). The first competitor to win 2 games is awarded the win.

Forfeits

• If a competitor does not arrive at the lane within 10 minutes of their match being called, they forfeit the match.
• If the forfeited match would be the opponent’s first match, the opponent may either:
  • throw 2 ‘ghost’ games (the absent competitor receives all 0s), or
  • elect not to throw and receive warm-up throws for their second match as if it were their first.
• If a competitor has not arrived at the facility by the time their second match is called, the opponent may play two ghost games with no opponent.
  • Competitors who have not communicated with the venue or tournament runners are assumed missing — no grace period for their second match.
  • Competitors who have communicated they have arrived or are on the way receive a second 10-minute grace period.

Pro Hatchet Division

• Competes under the Pro Hatchet ruleset.
• Earns bids to the World Axe Throwing Championship via Leagues, Tournaments, or Qualifying Throws.
• Earns Circuit Points from Tournaments.
• Can only compete in Open tournaments.

Am Hatchet Division

• Competes under the Am Hatchet ruleset.
• Earns bids to the World Axe Throwing Championship by placing at the Am Hatchet Championship.
• Earns Circuit Points from Tournaments.
• Can compete in Open or Am Hatchet tournament formats.

Rec Hatchet Division

• Plays under the Am Hatchet ruleset.
• Does not earn bids.
• Does not earn Circuit Points.
• Can compete in Open Hatchet or Am Hatchet tournament formats.

Hatchet Discipline Tournaments

• Tournaments created within the App can select a global ruleset (Pro / Am / Rec). To qualify for Circuit Points, sanctioned tournaments must select a global ruleset.
  • Any competitor can compete in an Open Tournament regardless of personal division, and will compete under Pro Hatchet rules.
  • Am Hatchet competitors may compete in either an Open Hatchet or Am Hatchet bracket, but not both at the same tournament.
  • Am Hatchet and Rec Hatchet competitors may compete in the Am Hatchet Division under the Am Hatchet ruleset, but Rec competitors will not receive Circuit Points.
  • Any competitor may compete in a Rec division tournament, but the tournament will be considered unsanctioned and no Circuit Points will be awarded.

Sanctioned WATL Tournaments are placed within a tiered tournament system: Nationals, Regionals, and Locals. Nationals and Regionals are not scheduled within a six-hour drive of one another, nor within the same region within a two- to three-week period (varies by regional density). Local tournaments are not subject to scheduling restrictions but may be reviewed for proximity to other events.

All tiered tournaments (except Local) must run 2 hatchet divisions — Open (Pro Hatchet rules) and Am Hatchet. Am Hatchet competitors may register for either bracket, but not both. Pro Hatchet competitors may only register for Open Hatchet.

Each division/discipline at any tier level must have at least 8 competitors or 6 teams to be considered for Circuit Points. All Tournament Tiers require a WATL and/or WKTL certified Head Judge(s).

National

Four Nationals are held per competitive year, corresponding to the four seasons, and are distributed across four primary regions of the United States.

• 3 WAKTC bids each available for Open Hatchet, Big Axe, and Hatchet Duals.
• Top 8 finishers in Am Hatchet receive automatic entry to later stages of the Am Hatchet Championship.
  • Bids do not trickle; extra bids fill via Am Hatchet Circuit Point standings.
  • Am Hatchet competitors who placed 1st–3rd at any National in the same competitive year are not permitted to compete in another National or Regional Am Hatchet tournament for the rest of the year — they must compete in Open Hatchet instead.
• Must host: Open Hatchet, Am Hatchet, Big Axe, Hatchet Duals.
• Prize pool payout must be at least 50% of entry fees (excluding taxes, fees, discounts), with additional added cash provided.
• Required check-in to ensure axes are to specification.
• At least 1 WATL Certified Head Judge required to actively preside over the tournament.
• Must have 1 Certified Tournament-level Judge per lane in use.

National Tournament Application →

Regional

Three Regional tournaments are held each season in the United States, for a maximum of twelve per year. Regional events are scheduled to prevent overlap with Nationals or other Regionals.

• 1 WAKTC bid each available for Open Hatchet, Big Axe, and Hatchet Duals.
• Am Hatchet competitors who placed 1st–3rd at any National, or 1st at any Regional in the same competitive year, may not compete in another Regional Am Hatchet tournament that year.
• Must host: Open Hatchet, Am Hatchet, Big Axe, Hatchet Duals.
• Prize pool payout must be at least 50% of entry fees with a minimum of $1,000 in added cash.
• Required axe check-in.
• At least 1 WATL Certified Judge at the level of Tournament Judge or higher acting as Head Judge.
• 1 Certified Tournament-level Judge per lane in use.

Regional Tournament Application →

Local

Local tournaments generally feature 48 Hatchet competitors or fewer, or may not include a Hatchet component at all.

• The tournament may feature any combination of the three disciplines.
• Hatchet may run as a single division using a competitor-defined mixed ruleset.
• Prize pool payout: minimum 50%, maximum 75% of entry fees; no additional cash required.
• A WATL Certified Judge at the level of Tournament Judge or higher may act as Head Judge.
• 1 Certified Tournament-level Judge per 16 competitors.

Local Tournament Application →

Charity Tournaments

• Charity tournaments follow the Local Tournament tier guidelines so competitors can earn Circuit Points.
• Charity tournaments do not distribute prize pool payouts to competitors. Instead, all prize funds (excluding taxes, fees, discounts) are directed to a certified non-profit organization, and WATL must verify receipt.

For all disciplines, a season is considered complete if 20 or more games are played.

Hatchet Seeding Formula

Seeding is determined using the formula below, calculated from a rolling average of all completed seasons in the current qualifying year:

Seeding Formula: ( Hit Percentage × 500 ) + ( Average × 8 ) + ( Inner Kills Hit × 2 )

Hit Percentage is defined as the number of 6s, 7s, and 8s hit in the season divided by the total number of throws.

• If a competitor has no completed seasons in the current qualifying year, the formula is applied to a rolling average of all four seasons from the previous qualifying year, with adjustments to reflect current gameplay.
• Competitors with no data from either the current or previous qualifying year are assigned a seeding placement at approximately the 25th percentile.

Hatchet Duals Seeding

• If a team does not have completed Hatchet Duals seasons in either year, Hatchet averages are used.
• Both teammates’ Hatchet averages are combined and averaged, then reduced by 5.
• If only one teammate has Hatchet data, the team is seeded using that average minus 5.
• Teams with no Hatchet Duals or Hatchet data are assigned a seeding placement at approximately the 25th percentile.

Bids via Leagues

Pro Hatchet bids to WAKTC:

• Any 1 season in the top 20*
• Any 2 seasons in the top 128*
• Any 3 seasons in the top 256

*Pro division competitors must attempt at least 28 Killshots in their top performing season (the single season that gets added to the leaderboard) in order to be considered for a top 20 or top 128 bid.

Am Hatchet, Big Axe, Hatchet Duals bids to WAKTC:

• Any 1 season in the top 10
• Any 2 seasons in the top 64
• Any 3 seasons in the top 128

Ties will not be broken. Example: if three competitors have the same score at 128 on the leaderboard in a season, all three are included as having hit the 128 target regardless of leaderboard positions 128, 129, or 130. Am Hatchet, Big Axe, and Hatchet Duals disciplines no longer award Circuit Points via league performance. There are no trickled bids in this system.

Bids via Tournaments

Nationals — Pro & Am Hatchet, Big Axe:

• 1st–8th place: Bid
• Every competitor earns Circuit Points equal to 3× their wins in group stage 2.

Nationals — Hatchet Duals:

• 1st–4th place: Bid
• 5th–6th place: 20 Circuit Points
• 7th–8th place: 15 Circuit Points

Regionals — Pro & Am Hatchet, Hatchet Duals, Big Axe:

• 1st–3rd place: Bid
• 4th place: 15 Circuit Points
• 5th–6th place: 10 Circuit Points

Locals (all disciplines):

• Any competitor with 50 tournament Circuit Points is awarded a bid to WAKTC.
• Any competitor who completes at least 2 games in a tournament without earning a bid or Circuit Points through placement earns 1 Circuit Point.
• The previous year’s World Champions automatically earn a bid to the next World Championship — but they will not automatically be the number-one seed.
• There are no trickled bids in this system.

Discretionary Bids

Used to recognize throwers from underserved areas and/or those who have made notable contributions to the community and merit an invitation to WAKTC events. Affiliates know their local communities best, so they may nominate competitors for bids closer to the event date.

Entry to the Am Hatchet Championship is based on Circuit Points earned and National tournament placements in the qualifying year. The top ~150 Circuit Point earners are invited to join the 40 bid winners from the 4 National Am Hatchet tournaments and the US Open*. Declined invites trickle to the next Circuit Point earner. Ties are broken using the Hatchet Seeding Formula above.

*If the US Open is cancelled and WATL does not declare a direct reallocation of its bids to another tournament, 8 bids trickle to the next highest Circuit Point earner without a bid.

The 40 tournament bid winners and the top 6 Circuit Point earners gain entry directly into Stage 2.

Stage 1

• 18 groups compete in a round robin style tournament with the top competitor from each group moving to Stage 2.

Stage 2

• 18 competitors from Stage 1 join 40 Am Hatchet tournament bid winners and the top 6 Circuit Point earners.
• 64-person double-elimination bracket to crown the Am Hatchet champion.
• Competitors placing in the top 8 are awarded free entry to the Pro Hatchet championship tournament at the corresponding WAKTC.

Representation from each region is a priority and regional spread is evaluated for the distribution of some or all of the WATL reserved bids. WATL aims to maintain global growth and evaluates underrepresented regions, especially in areas of high potential.