Editing International Classic Paintball League


The '''International Classic Paintball League''' ('''ICPL''') is an international [[paintball]] tournament circuit established in 2019 by the [[National Xball League]] (NXL). It specialises in traditional five-player and 10-player competition using mechanical [[paintball marker]]s on woodland, [[Hyperball]], earth-mound and hybrid playing fields.[1]

The league was established to revive tournament formats associated with competitive paintball during the 1980s and 1990s. It operates professional and amateur competitions, with its principal championship event known as the '''ICPL Classic Cup'''.[1][2]

== History ==

=== Establishment in 2019 ===

The International Classic Paintball League was introduced by the National Xball League in 2019, during a period of renewed interest in traditional mechanical-marker tournament paintball.

The league adopted a format based on the original 10-player competitions that preceded the widespread adoption of inflatable-bunker [[speedball]] and [[X-Ball]].

Its inaugural tournament, the Windy City Classic, took place at [[The Badlandz]] in Crete, Illinois, on 1–2 June 2019.

The tournament attracted established professional teams, including [[Los Angeles Infamous]], [[San Diego Dynasty]], [[Chicago Aftershock]], [[Adrenaline]] and the [[All Americans]].[3][4]

Adrenaline won the inaugural professional 10-player competition, finishing ahead of Los Angeles Infamous.

The second tournament, the Florida Open, took place in October 2019. Chicago Aftershock won the professional division and secured the inaugural ICPL professional season championship with 190.53 points, narrowly ahead of Infamous on 190.26 points.[4]

=== Expansion ===

The ICPL continued organising mechanical-marker tournaments during the early 2020s.

Its competition programme included events in Florida, Illinois, Maryland and California.

In 2021, the Old Bay Classic took place at Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City in Maryland. The tournament featured professional and amateur 10-player competition, using traditional capture-the-flag objectives.[5]

The league also developed an international programme of affiliated tournaments.

Its 2022 season archive includes competitions in Mexico, the United Kingdom and Poland, alongside events in the United States.[6]

The ICPL subsequently expanded its five-player divisions and continued organising annual professional and amateur championships.

== Competition format ==

The ICPL uses traditional tournament paintball rules, with teams attempting to capture the opposing team's flag and return it to their own starting station before the game ends.

Unlike modern X-Ball, which uses repeated points within a timed match, classic paintball competition is based on individual games and a points system reflecting match results.

The principal formats are:

* '''10-player (10v10):''' Teams field ten players, with professional and amateur divisions.
* '''Five-player (5v5):''' Teams field five players in a smaller version of the classic competition format.

The league primarily uses mechanical paintball markers rather than the electronic equipment commonly associated with professional speedball.[1][7]

=== Playing fields ===

ICPL tournaments use several field types associated with earlier eras of competitive paintball.

These include:

* '''Woodland fields:''' Natural terrain incorporating trees, vegetation and irregular cover.
* '''Hyperball fields:''' Artificial bunkers constructed from large corrugated plastic pipes.
* '''Earth-mound fields:''' Constructed earthen obstacles providing cover and shooting positions.
* '''Hybrid fields:''' Layouts combining different bunker and terrain types.

The use of multiple field types distinguishes the ICPL from professional X-Ball circuits that compete primarily on standardised inflatable-bunker layouts.[1]

== Classic Cup ==

The '''ICPL Classic Cup''' is the league's principal championship tournament.

The event brings together professional and amateur teams competing in classic mechanical-marker formats.

The league describes the Classic Cup as its world championship of mechanical paintball.[1]

In 2025, the Classic Cup was held at Tiki's Paintball Park in Seffner, Florida, from 3 to 5 October.

Team Smoke won the professional 10-player tournament, while Chicago Aftershock secured the overall professional season championship with 293 points.

In the amateur 10-player division, Dark Carnival won the 2025 season championship.[8]

== 2026 season ==

The 2026 ICPL season included four principal tournaments:

{| class="wikitable"
! Tournament
! Dates
! Location
|-
| Golden State Classic
| 10–12 April 2026
| Moorpark, California
|-
| Windy City Classic
| 12–14 June 2026
| Crete, Illinois
|-
| Pittsburgh Open Classic
| 31 July – 2 August 2026
| McDonald, Pennsylvania
|-
| Classic Cup
| 16–18 October 2026
| Chesapeake City, Maryland
|}

The season included professional and amateur 10-player competition alongside five-player divisions.[6][9]

== Significance ==

The ICPL contributed to the revival of traditional competitive paintball formats during the late 2010s and 2020s.

Its competitions provided opportunities for established professional teams, former tournament players and newer competitors to participate in mechanical-marker competition on field types associated with earlier generations of the sport.

The league also helped preserve the 10-player tournament format after professional speedball had largely transitioned to five-player X-Ball competition.

== See also ==

* [[National Xball League]]
* [[Major League Paintball]]
* [[History of paintball]]
* [[Woodsball]]
* [[Speedball]]
* [[Hyperball]]
* [[Pump paintball]]
* [[Paintball World Cup]]
* [[National Professional Paintball League]]

== References ==

# [https://www.majorleaguepb.com/icpl Major League Paintball, International Classic Paintball League. Official description of the league and competition formats.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/ NXL Classic Paintball, International Classic Paintball League. Official league history and competition information.]
# [https://infamouspaintball.com/blogs/events-news/the-first-icpl-10-man-mechanical-event Infamous Paintball, The First ICPL 10 Man Mechanical Event, 20 June 2019.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2019 PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, Official 2019 Season Rankings.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/post/2021-icpl-event-one-preview-the-old-bay-classic-kicks-off-the-season-in-chesapeake-city-maryland NXL Classic Paintball, Quinn Nadu, 2021 ICPL Event One Preview: The Old Bay Classic, 2 June 2021.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/leagues/435 PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, Historical Tournament Archive, 2019–2026.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/10-man-division NXL Classic Paintball, Official 10-Man Competition Format.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2025 PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, Official 2025 Season Rankings.]
# [https://woods.pbleagues.com/ PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, 2026 Tournament Calendar.]

== External links ==

* [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/ International Classic Paintball League official website]
* [https://www.majorleaguepb.com/icpl Major League Paintball, ICPL]
* [https://pbleagues.com/leagues/435 ICPL historical tournament results and rankings]

[[Category:Paintball leagues]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Professional paintball]]
[[Category:Paintball history]]