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Expanded the inaugural 2019 season and January 2020 Sunshine Classic using contemporary Paintball Media reports; clarified early equipment rules and scoring, and added references.
Replace with sourced ICPL history through 2026, US competition formats, affiliate expansion, historical roster changes, NXL/MLPB relationships, Classic Cup chronology and recent season champions; clarify marker eligibility and distinguish event victories from series titles.
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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 '''International Classic Paintball League''' ('''ICPL''') is a paintball tournament circuit introduced by the [[National Xball League]] (NXL) for its inaugural season in 2019. It organises traditional five-player and ten-player competition on woodland, hyperball, earth-mound and hybrid fields.[1][2]


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]
The ICPL operates within [[Major League Paintball]] (MLPB). Its United States programme includes professional and amateur competition, with the [[ICPL Classic Cup|Classic Cup]] serving as its concluding championship tournament. Event championships and season points championships are separate awards.[3][4][5]


== History ==
== History ==


=== Establishment in 2019 ===
=== Establishment and inaugural season ===


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]].[1][2]
The NXL announced a classic tournament series ahead of the 2019 season. In February 2019, contemporary reporting identified a professional field of 20 teams, including established organisations such as the Ironmen, Master Blasters, FARSIDE, All Americans, Chicago Aftershock, San Diego Dynasty and Kapp Factory.[2]


Its inaugural tournament, the Windy City Classic, took place at [[The Badlandz]] in Crete, Illinois, on 1–2 June 2019. Participating teams included [[Los Angeles Infamous]], [[San Diego Dynasty]], [[Chicago Aftershock]], [[Adrenaline]] and the [[All Americans]].[3][4]
The inaugural [[2019 ICPL Windy City Classic]] took place at The Badlandz in Crete, Illinois, on 1–2 June 2019. Adrenaline won the professional ten-player competition ahead of [[Los Angeles Infamous]].[6][7]


The event attracted 20 professional and 19 amateur teams. The professional division consisted of invited teams, while amateur entry was open to teams outside that division.[10]
The season concluded with the [[2019 ICPL Florida Open]]. [[Chicago Aftershock]] won that tournament and the inaugural professional season championship, finishing with 190.53 points against Infamous's 190.26. Docs Warriors won the amateur ten-player season championship.[7]


Adrenaline won the professional competition with 54 points in the three-team final, ahead of Los Angeles Infamous on 53 and Chicago Aftershock on 48. No team pulled or hung a flag during the final; the scores came from eliminations and surviving players. PPS SFO won the amateur division, ahead of Doc's Warriors and Thunderhorse.[10]
=== Development during 2020–2022 ===


The second tournament, the Florida Open, took place at Central Florida Paintball in Lakeland, Florida, on 11–13 October 2019. It attracted 19 professional 10-player teams, 14 amateur 10-player teams and ten open five-player teams.[11]
The ICPL remained part of the NXL's tournament programme during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, when announcing the cancellation of proposed NXL regional conference events, the NXL stated that it intended to concentrate on the October Chicago ICPL tournament and November NXL World Cup.[8]


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. Doc's Warriors won the amateur season championship.[4]
In 2021, the professional championship comprised the Old Bay Classic and Windy City Classic. Infamous won both professional ten-player events and the season title. Team Smoke won the amateur ten-player championship, while Image and Mutiny appeared in the professional standings after earlier amateur participation.[9]


=== Expansion ===
Professional roster eligibility was revised for 2022 following a vote by team captains. The approved proposal limited teams to three NXL professional-ranked players, with players over the age of 44 excluded from that count. The captains voted to retain the existing mechanical-marker rate-of-fire rules.[10]


The Sunshine Classic, held at Central Florida Paintball during the final weekend of January 2020, attracted 23 professional 10-player teams, 21 amateur 10-player teams and 13 open five-player teams. Competition took place on woodland, Hyperball and hybrid fields. Los Angeles Infamous won the professional division.[12]
[[Kapp Factory]] won the 2022 professional season championship. Its counted victories came at the Golden State Classic, Old Bay Classic and Windy City Classic.[11]


The ICPL continued organising mechanical-marker tournaments during the early 2020s, with its competition programme including events in Florida, Illinois, Maryland and California.[6]
=== Affiliate expansion in 2023 ===


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 expanded its programme through officially supported affiliate tournaments in 2023. The [[2023 ICPL Pro DNA Open]], held at The Farm Sports in Shelbyville, Tennessee, was described by the league as its first affiliate event.[12]


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 Pro DNA Open combined professional and amateur ten-player teams in one playing division. The league's preview listed 28 teams and described the tournament as operating with support from the Major League Paintball organisation.[12]


The ICPL subsequently expanded its five-player divisions and continued organising annual professional and amateur championships.[6]
The 2023 Sunshine Classic opened with 24 professional and 32 amateur ten-player teams. Maple Leaf Chiefs joined the professional franchise field for that season.[13]


== Competition format ==
=== The 2024 season and January 2025 Classic Cup ===


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.[5][7]
The 2024 programme included regional tournaments, the Texas Classic major and a concluding Classic Cup. Team Smoke's contemporary account described the championship calculation as using a team's best minor result, its major result and its championship result.[14]


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.[7]
The concluding Cup took place from 31 January to 2 February 2025 in Seffner, Florida. Despite its calendar-year date, its results counted towards the [[2024 ICPL season]]. Image won professional ten-player at the tournament, while DYE identified Louisville Asylum as the 2024 Open five-player series champions.[15–18]


The principal formats are:
=== The 2025 season ===


* '''10-player (10v10):''' Teams field ten players, with professional and amateur divisions.
The [[2025 ICPL season|2025 United States championship]] comprised the Old Bay Classic, Pittsburgh Open Classic and October Classic Cup. The October tournament was separate from the January Cup that had concluded the previous season.[4][15]
* '''Five-player (5v5):''' Teams field five players in a smaller version of the classic competition format.[1]


The league primarily uses mechanical paintball markers.[1][7] Its 2019 rules also permitted electronic markers capped at 5.5 balls per second, using semi-automatic or NXL ramping modes.[10][11]
Team Smoke won professional ten-player at the October finale, but Chicago Aftershock won the professional season championship. Dark Carnival won Amateur ten-player, FARSIDE won Open five-player and AAF 2 won Amateur five-player.[4][5]


In 2019, teams received points for flag pulls, flag hangs, opponents eliminated and their own surviving players. Games could therefore contribute to a team's score without a flag hang.[10][11]
=== The 2026 season ===


=== Playing fields ===
The [[2026 ICPL season]] comprised four United States tournaments: the Golden State Classic at Ambush Paintball Park in Moorpark, California; Windy City Classic at The Badlandz in Illinois; Pittsburgh Open Classic at Urban Assault in Pennsylvania; and Classic Cup at Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City in Maryland.[19–23]


ICPL tournaments use several field types associated with earlier eras of competitive paintball:
Brimstone Smoke won professional ten-player at the Classic Cup. Chicago Aftershock secured the professional season championship and also won the Open five-player series. AAF won Amateur ten-player, while AAF 2 retained the Amateur five-player title.[19][24]


* '''Woodland fields:''' Natural terrain incorporating trees, vegetation and irregular cover.
== Competition formats ==
* '''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.[1]


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


== Classic Cup ==
The ICPL uses five-player and ten-player formats in which teams attempt to capture the opposing team's flag and return it to their own base. Game scoring includes flag pulls, flag hangs, eliminated opponents and surviving players.[1]
 
Its playing fields include woodland, hyperball, earth-mound and hybrid layouts. This requires teams to compete across different terrain and bunker arrangements.[1]
 
Mechanical markers are associated with the league's classic format. The league's published overview also permits electronic markers capped at 5.5 balls per second, using either semi-automatic firing or NXL ramping mode.[1]
 
Game times depend on the applicable event and field. For example, the 2026 Pittsburgh Open Classic specified twelve-minute games on woodland and hybrid fields and ten-minute games on hyperball and mounds. Its five-player divisions used six-minute games.[22]
 
=== Divisions and eligibility ===
 
The principal United States divisions in 2025 and 2026 were:
 
* Professional ten-player.
* Amateur ten-player.
* Open five-player.
* Amateur five-player.[4][19]
 
The professional division has used a franchise structure. Amateur competition provides a separate classification, although some affiliate tournaments have combined professional and amateur teams in the playing brackets.[12][13]
 
Roster restrictions have changed between seasons. The three-player NXL professional limit approved for 2022 was a season-specific change and should not be treated as a permanent description of every subsequent ICPL competition.[10]
 
=== Season scoring ===
 
Teams receive tournament placings and season-ranking points. A team can win a concluding tournament without winning the season championship, as occurred when Team Smoke won the October 2025 Classic Cup while Chicago Aftershock secured the professional series title.[4][5]


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]
The championship calculation has varied. In 2026, each team's three highest tournament scores counted, with its remaining result dropped.[19]


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 season championship.[8]
== Classic Cup ==


== 2026 season ==
The Classic Cup is the league's concluding championship tournament. Major League Paintball describes it as the world championship of mechanical paintball.[3]


The 2026 ICPL season included four principal tournaments:[6][9]
Two Cups took place in the United States during 2025:


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Tournament
! Dates
! Dates
! Location
! Championship relationship
! Professional ten-player tournament winner
|-
|-
| Golden State Classic
| 31 January–2 February 2025
| 10–12 April 2026
| Concluded the 2024 season
| Moorpark, California
| Image
|-
|-
| Windy City Classic
| 3–5 October 2025
| 12–14 June 2026
| Concluded the 2025 season
| Crete, Illinois
| Team Smoke
|}
 
The 2026 Classic Cup took place at Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City on 16–18 October. Brimstone Smoke won professional ten-player, Brawlgang won Amateur ten-player, FARSIDE won Open five-player and AAF 2 won Amateur five-player.[23][24]
 
== Recent United States season champions ==
 
The following table distinguishes season championships from individual tournament victories.[4][5][19][24]
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Season
! Professional ten-player
! Amateur ten-player
! Open five-player
! Amateur five-player
|-
|-
| Pittsburgh Open Classic
| 2025
| 31 July – 2 August 2026
| Chicago Aftershock
| McDonald, Pennsylvania
| Dark Carnival
| FARSIDE
| AAF 2
|-
|-
| Classic Cup
| 2026
| 16–18 October 2026
| Chicago Aftershock
| Chesapeake City, Maryland
| AAF
| Chicago Aftershock
| AAF 2
|}
|}


The season included professional and amateur 10-player competition alongside five-player divisions.[6][9]
== Organisation and broadcasting ==
 
The NXL formed the ICPL to organise classic-format competition. Major League Paintball lists the ICPL among its competition brands, alongside the NXL and Women's National Xball League.[1][3]


== Significance ==
Official tournament registration, results and season standings are published through [[PBLeagues International|PBLeagues]]. ICPL broadcasts and archived coverage are available through Major League Paintball PLUS, including coverage originally presented through GoSports.[6][25]


The ICPL formed part of the revival of traditional competitive paintball formats during the late 2010s and 2020s. Its early tournaments brought together established professional teams, former tournament players and newer competitors on woodland, Hyperball and hybrid fields.[10][11][12]
== Season articles ==


The league maintained organised 10-player competition alongside the five-player formats used in modern professional paintball.[1][7]
* [[2019 ICPL season]]
* [[2020 ICPL season]]
* [[2021 ICPL season]]
* [[2022 ICPL season]]
* [[2023 ICPL season]]
* [[2024 ICPL season]]
* [[2025 ICPL season]]
* [[2026 ICPL season]]


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 101: Line 147:
* [[National Xball League]]
* [[National Xball League]]
* [[Major League Paintball]]
* [[Major League Paintball]]
* [[History of paintball]]
* [[Women's National Xball League]]
* [[Woodsball]]
* [[Paintball in the United States]]
* [[Speedball]]
* [[Hyperball]]
* [[Pump paintball]]
* [[Paintball World Cup]]
* [[National Professional Paintball League]]


== References ==
== 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/ International Classic Paintball League – Official league description, formats, marker rules and scoring.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/ NXL Classic Paintball, International Classic Paintball League. Official league history and competition information.]
# [https://paintball.media/nxl-classic-pro-team-list-gosports-news/ John Amodea, Paintball Media – NXL Classic Pro Team List: GoSports News, 23 February 2019.]
# [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://www.majorleaguepb.com/icpl Major League Paintball – International Classic Paintball League.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2019 PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, Official 2019 Season Rankings.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2025 PBLeagues – 2025 ICPL season rankings.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/post/2021-icpl-event-one-preview-the-old-bay-classic-kicks-off-the-season-in-chesapeake-city-maryland Quinn Nadu, 2021 ICPL Event One Preview: The Old Bay Classic, NXL Classic Paintball, 2 June 2021.]
# [https://paintballdirt.substack.com/p/weekly-newsletter-team-smoke-wins Brandon Olson, Paintball Dirt – Weekly Newsletter: Team Smoke WINS ICPL Classic Cup!, 6 October 2025.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/leagues/435 PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, Historical Tournament Archive, 2019–2026.]
# [https://www.mlpbplus.com/icpl-10-man/videos/icpl-windy-city-classic Major League Paintball PLUS – ICPL Windy City Classic: inaugural 2019 tournament documentary.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/10-man-division NXL Classic Paintball, Official 10-Man Competition Format.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2019 PBLeagues – 2019 ICPL season rankings.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2025 PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, Official 2025 Season Rankings.]
# [https://damnpaintballs.com/2020/07/18/nxl-regional-conference-events-cancelled/ Damn Paintballs – NXL Regional Conference Events Cancelled, 18 July 2020; reproduces the NXL announcement.]
# [https://woods.pbleagues.com/ PBLeagues, International Classic Paintball League, 2026 Tournament Calendar.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2021 PBLeagues – 2021 ICPL season rankings.]
# [https://newsstand.joomag.com/en/paintball-magazine-paintball-media-magazine-july-2019/0867029001560872732 Paintball Media, “ICPL Windy City Classic”, July 2019, pp. 14–39.]
# [https://paintballnerd.com/blogs/news/the-captains-of-the-pro-division-in-the-icpl-have-voted-and-the-rules-will-be-changing Paintball Nerd – ICPL 2022 rule change sparks controversy, 5 November 2021.]
# [https://newsstand.joomag.com/es/paintball-magazine-paintball-magazine-nov-2019-issue/0003012001572007698 John Amodea, “International Classic Paintball League Season Finale”, Paintball Media, November 2019, pp. 84–102.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2022 PBLeagues – 2022 ICPL season rankings.]
# [https://newsstand.joomag.com/es/paintball-magazine-paintball-magazine-february-2020-issue/0772851001580222226 Paintball Media, “ICPL Sunshine Classic”, February 2020, pp. 32–56.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/post/the-icpl-pro-dna-open-kicks-off-in-tennessee-this-weekend-full-event-preview NXL Classic Paintball – The ICPL Pro DNA Open kicks off in Tennessee this weekend, full event preview!, 30 March 2023.]
# [https://www.nxlclassicpaintball.com/post/the-competitive-paintball-season-kicks-off-in-florida-at-the-23-icpl-sunshine-classic NXL Classic Paintball – The Competitive Paintball Season Kicks off In Florida at the '23 ICPL Sunshine Classic!, 31 January 2023.]
# [https://teamsmokepaintball.com/blog/category/paintball/ Team Smoke Paintball – 2024 Pro DNA Open and ICPL Texas Classic tournament reports.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2024 PBLeagues – 2024 ICPL season rankings, including the January 2025 Classic Cup.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/8685/info PBLeagues – ICPL Classic Cup, 31 January–2 February 2025: event information.]
# [https://shop.dyepaintball.com/blogs/news/image-wins-icpl-classic-cup DYE Paintball – Image Wins ICPL Classic Cup.]
# [https://shop.dyepaintball.com/blogs/news/louisville-asylum-icpl-series-champs DYE Paintball – Louisville Asylum ICPL Series Champs.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/league/435/seasonRankings/2026 PBLeagues – 2026 ICPL final season rankings.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/9254/info PBLeagues – 2026 Golden State Classic: event information.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/9341/info PBLeagues – 2026 Windy City Classic: event information.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/9385/info PBLeagues – 2026 Pittsburgh Open Classic: event information.]
# [https://pbleagues.com/event/9450/info PBLeagues – 2026 Classic Cup: event information.]
# [https://paintballdirt.substack.com/p/weekly-newsletter-icpl-classic-cup Brandon Olson, Paintball Dirt – Weekly Newsletter: ICPL Classic Cup Results!, 19 October 2026.]
# [https://www.mlpbplus.com/icpl-10-man Major League Paintball PLUS – ICPL broadcast archive.]


== External links ==
== External links ==


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


[[Category:Paintball leagues]]
[[Category:Paintball leagues]]
[[Category:Paintball tournaments]]
[[Category:Paintball in the United States]]
[[Category:Professional paintball]]
[[Category:Paintball history]]

Revision as of 10:27, 4 November 2026

The International Classic Paintball League (ICPL) is a paintball tournament circuit introduced by the National Xball League (NXL) for its inaugural season in 2019. It organises traditional five-player and ten-player competition on woodland, hyperball, earth-mound and hybrid fields.[1][2]

The ICPL operates within Major League Paintball (MLPB). Its United States programme includes professional and amateur competition, with the Classic Cup serving as its concluding championship tournament. Event championships and season points championships are separate awards.[3][4][5]

History

Establishment and inaugural season

The NXL announced a classic tournament series ahead of the 2019 season. In February 2019, contemporary reporting identified a professional field of 20 teams, including established organisations such as the Ironmen, Master Blasters, FARSIDE, All Americans, Chicago Aftershock, San Diego Dynasty and Kapp Factory.[2]

The inaugural 2019 ICPL Windy City Classic took place at The Badlandz in Crete, Illinois, on 1–2 June 2019. Adrenaline won the professional ten-player competition ahead of Los Angeles Infamous.[6][7]

The season concluded with the 2019 ICPL Florida Open. Chicago Aftershock won that tournament and the inaugural professional season championship, finishing with 190.53 points against Infamous's 190.26. Docs Warriors won the amateur ten-player season championship.[7]

Development during 2020–2022

The ICPL remained part of the NXL's tournament programme during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2020, when announcing the cancellation of proposed NXL regional conference events, the NXL stated that it intended to concentrate on the October Chicago ICPL tournament and November NXL World Cup.[8]

In 2021, the professional championship comprised the Old Bay Classic and Windy City Classic. Infamous won both professional ten-player events and the season title. Team Smoke won the amateur ten-player championship, while Image and Mutiny appeared in the professional standings after earlier amateur participation.[9]

Professional roster eligibility was revised for 2022 following a vote by team captains. The approved proposal limited teams to three NXL professional-ranked players, with players over the age of 44 excluded from that count. The captains voted to retain the existing mechanical-marker rate-of-fire rules.[10]

Kapp Factory won the 2022 professional season championship. Its counted victories came at the Golden State Classic, Old Bay Classic and Windy City Classic.[11]

Affiliate expansion in 2023

The league expanded its programme through officially supported affiliate tournaments in 2023. The 2023 ICPL Pro DNA Open, held at The Farm Sports in Shelbyville, Tennessee, was described by the league as its first affiliate event.[12]

The Pro DNA Open combined professional and amateur ten-player teams in one playing division. The league's preview listed 28 teams and described the tournament as operating with support from the Major League Paintball organisation.[12]

The 2023 Sunshine Classic opened with 24 professional and 32 amateur ten-player teams. Maple Leaf Chiefs joined the professional franchise field for that season.[13]

The 2024 season and January 2025 Classic Cup

The 2024 programme included regional tournaments, the Texas Classic major and a concluding Classic Cup. Team Smoke's contemporary account described the championship calculation as using a team's best minor result, its major result and its championship result.[14]

The concluding Cup took place from 31 January to 2 February 2025 in Seffner, Florida. Despite its calendar-year date, its results counted towards the 2024 ICPL season. Image won professional ten-player at the tournament, while DYE identified Louisville Asylum as the 2024 Open five-player series champions.[15–18]

The 2025 season

The 2025 United States championship comprised the Old Bay Classic, Pittsburgh Open Classic and October Classic Cup. The October tournament was separate from the January Cup that had concluded the previous season.[4][15]

Team Smoke won professional ten-player at the October finale, but Chicago Aftershock won the professional season championship. Dark Carnival won Amateur ten-player, FARSIDE won Open five-player and AAF 2 won Amateur five-player.[4][5]

The 2026 season

The 2026 ICPL season comprised four United States tournaments: the Golden State Classic at Ambush Paintball Park in Moorpark, California; Windy City Classic at The Badlandz in Illinois; Pittsburgh Open Classic at Urban Assault in Pennsylvania; and Classic Cup at Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City in Maryland.[19–23]

Brimstone Smoke won professional ten-player at the Classic Cup. Chicago Aftershock secured the professional season championship and also won the Open five-player series. AAF won Amateur ten-player, while AAF 2 retained the Amateur five-player title.[19][24]

Competition formats

Classic capture-the-flag competition

The ICPL uses five-player and ten-player formats in which teams attempt to capture the opposing team's flag and return it to their own base. Game scoring includes flag pulls, flag hangs, eliminated opponents and surviving players.[1]

Its playing fields include woodland, hyperball, earth-mound and hybrid layouts. This requires teams to compete across different terrain and bunker arrangements.[1]

Mechanical markers are associated with the league's classic format. The league's published overview also permits electronic markers capped at 5.5 balls per second, using either semi-automatic firing or NXL ramping mode.[1]

Game times depend on the applicable event and field. For example, the 2026 Pittsburgh Open Classic specified twelve-minute games on woodland and hybrid fields and ten-minute games on hyperball and mounds. Its five-player divisions used six-minute games.[22]

Divisions and eligibility

The principal United States divisions in 2025 and 2026 were:

  • Professional ten-player.
  • Amateur ten-player.
  • Open five-player.
  • Amateur five-player.[4][19]

The professional division has used a franchise structure. Amateur competition provides a separate classification, although some affiliate tournaments have combined professional and amateur teams in the playing brackets.[12][13]

Roster restrictions have changed between seasons. The three-player NXL professional limit approved for 2022 was a season-specific change and should not be treated as a permanent description of every subsequent ICPL competition.[10]

Season scoring

Teams receive tournament placings and season-ranking points. A team can win a concluding tournament without winning the season championship, as occurred when Team Smoke won the October 2025 Classic Cup while Chicago Aftershock secured the professional series title.[4][5]

The championship calculation has varied. In 2026, each team's three highest tournament scores counted, with its remaining result dropped.[19]

Classic Cup

The Classic Cup is the league's concluding championship tournament. Major League Paintball describes it as the world championship of mechanical paintball.[3]

Two Cups took place in the United States during 2025:

Dates Championship relationship Professional ten-player tournament winner
31 January–2 February 2025 Concluded the 2024 season Image
3–5 October 2025 Concluded the 2025 season Team Smoke

The 2026 Classic Cup took place at Outdoor Xtreme Chesapeake City on 16–18 October. Brimstone Smoke won professional ten-player, Brawlgang won Amateur ten-player, FARSIDE won Open five-player and AAF 2 won Amateur five-player.[23][24]

Recent United States season champions

The following table distinguishes season championships from individual tournament victories.[4][5][19][24]

Season Professional ten-player Amateur ten-player Open five-player Amateur five-player
2025 Chicago Aftershock Dark Carnival FARSIDE AAF 2
2026 Chicago Aftershock AAF Chicago Aftershock AAF 2

Organisation and broadcasting

The NXL formed the ICPL to organise classic-format competition. Major League Paintball lists the ICPL among its competition brands, alongside the NXL and Women's National Xball League.[1][3]

Official tournament registration, results and season standings are published through PBLeagues. ICPL broadcasts and archived coverage are available through Major League Paintball PLUS, including coverage originally presented through GoSports.[6][25]

Season articles

See also

References

  1. International Classic Paintball League – Official league description, formats, marker rules and scoring.
  2. John Amodea, Paintball Media – NXL Classic Pro Team List: GoSports News, 23 February 2019.
  3. Major League Paintball – International Classic Paintball League.
  4. PBLeagues – 2025 ICPL season rankings.
  5. Brandon Olson, Paintball Dirt – Weekly Newsletter: Team Smoke WINS ICPL Classic Cup!, 6 October 2025.
  6. Major League Paintball PLUS – ICPL Windy City Classic: inaugural 2019 tournament documentary.
  7. PBLeagues – 2019 ICPL season rankings.
  8. Damn Paintballs – NXL Regional Conference Events Cancelled, 18 July 2020; reproduces the NXL announcement.
  9. PBLeagues – 2021 ICPL season rankings.
  10. Paintball Nerd – ICPL 2022 rule change sparks controversy, 5 November 2021.
  11. PBLeagues – 2022 ICPL season rankings.
  12. NXL Classic Paintball – The ICPL Pro DNA Open kicks off in Tennessee this weekend, full event preview!, 30 March 2023.
  13. NXL Classic Paintball – The Competitive Paintball Season Kicks off In Florida at the '23 ICPL Sunshine Classic!, 31 January 2023.
  14. Team Smoke Paintball – 2024 Pro DNA Open and ICPL Texas Classic tournament reports.
  15. PBLeagues – 2024 ICPL season rankings, including the January 2025 Classic Cup.
  16. PBLeagues – ICPL Classic Cup, 31 January–2 February 2025: event information.
  17. DYE Paintball – Image Wins ICPL Classic Cup.
  18. DYE Paintball – Louisville Asylum ICPL Series Champs.
  19. PBLeagues – 2026 ICPL final season rankings.
  20. PBLeagues – 2026 Golden State Classic: event information.
  21. PBLeagues – 2026 Windy City Classic: event information.
  22. PBLeagues – 2026 Pittsburgh Open Classic: event information.
  23. PBLeagues – 2026 Classic Cup: event information.
  24. Brandon Olson, Paintball Dirt – Weekly Newsletter: ICPL Classic Cup Results!, 19 October 2026.
  25. Major League Paintball PLUS – ICPL broadcast archive.
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