The Guild Wars Factions Championship (GWFC) is a series of tournament events sponsored by ArenaNet. Guilds from all territories participate by playing GvG-Battles followed by special seasonal play-off events and the Factions Championship Finals.

The Guild Wars Factions Championship was divided into three qualifying seasons, plus one special season to determine the last participant:

• Season One: March 7th, 2006 — April 3rd, 2006.
• Season Two: April 18th, 2006 — May 15th, 2006.
• Season Three: May 30th, 2006 — June 26th, 2006.
• Open Season: July 7th, 2006 — July 10th, 2006.

Each qualifying season began with a reset of the guild ladder. At the end of each season, the top 16 ranked guilds were qualified for the Seasonal Play-Offs. Guilds competed in a single-elimination tournament (best 2 out of 3 battles).

After the last qualifying season, the top five guilds with the highest GWFC Point total (with a maximum of two guilds from any specific territory) earned an invitation to compete in the Guild Wars Factions Championship Finals. In the case of a tie, single elimination tie breaker matches determined the five guilds that earned an invitation. The 6th and final invitation to the Factions Championship Finals was awarded to the winner of the GWFC Open tournament event.

The Factions Championship Finals took place from August 24th to August 27th during the Games Convention 2006 in Leipzig, Germany.

Guilds earned GWFC Points based upon their final position in each seasonal play-off:

Additionally, the two highest ranked guilds in each territory received additional number of GWFC points:

• First place: 50,000 USD
• Second place: 25,000 USD
• Third and Fourth place: 10,000 USD
• Fifth and Sixth place: 2,500 USD

In addition to the GWFC Points, there were in-game rewards given to the guilds competing in the seasonal play-offs. Each winner of the seasonal play-off won a permanent golden trim upgrade, guilds who finished 2nd to 16th won a special silver trim upgrade which last until the end of the following season.

The Guild Wars Factions Champion and the guilds lineup are immortalized by the Factions Championship Trophy in the Great Temple of Balthazar.

The first season of Guild Wars Factions Championship began on Marth 7th, 2006, with a reset of the guild ladder. At April 3rd, 2006, the top 16 ranked teams were to qualify for the season-ending playoffs. The single-elimination took place from Saturday, April 8th, 2006 to Sunday, April 16th, 2006.

The second season of Guild Wars Factions Championship began on April 18th, 2006, with a reset of the guild ladder. At May 15th, 2006, the top 16 ranked teams were to qualify for the season-ending playoffs. The single-elimination took place from Saturday, May 20th, 2006 to Sunday, May 28th, 2006.

The third season of Guild Wars Factions Championship began on May 30th, 2006, with a reset of the guild ladder. At June 26th, 2006, the top 16 ranked teams were to qualify for the season-ending playoffs. The single-elimination took place from Saturday, July 1st, 2006 to Sunday, July 8th, 2006.

GWFC Points earned at the end of the Third Season:

A Tie-Breaker match was organized to determine the 3rd and 4th place between Esoteric Warriors [EW] & Irresistible Blokes [iB], and the filth place between Sacrament Of The Waooru [SotW] & Treacherous Empire [Te]. Despite the fact that Sacrament Of The Waooru [SotW] won the tie-breaker match, the guild declined their invitation to the Factions Championship Finals in favor of Treacherous Empire [Te]. See the news from July 14th 2006, for the full story.

The 6th and final invitation to the Factions Championship Finals was awarded to Idiot Savants [iQ], the winner of the Guild Wars Factions Championship Open Event (Guild Wars Factions Championship Open Season Final Ladder Results).

The top five teams were seeded by their final GWFC Point ranking. The sixth seed in the finals was reserved for the winner of the Open Event, GWFC Points were irrelevent in determining this slot. The two highest-seeded guilds, War Machine [WM] and The Last Pride [EvIL], received a bye during the first round.