The NXL World Cup of Paintball in Kissimmee brings teams of multiple levels—professional, semi-pro and amateur—from all over the country and globe together for the conclusion of the season for the National Xball League in a four-day event played across multiple playing fields set up across the street from the Gaylord Palms resort. While the top players and teams in the game compete for large cash prizes, the surrounding area also serves as a trade show for the game, with vendors showcasing some of the latest paintball-related products. Admission is free for watching the divisional games, which run through Sunday, but purchasing a ticket is required to watch the pro-level matches at the event. For more information on ticketing and the schedule, go to www.nxlpaintball.com/worldcup.
William Donaldson from the MLKings in action during a pro X-ball match at the NXL World Cup of Paintball tournament in Kissimmee on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. During the event, 24 professional-level teams compete for the $40,000 first-place prize. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Members of the Panama paintball team scramble into position at the starting signal of a divisional prelim match during the NXL World Cup of Paintball in Kissimmee on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)
A member of MLKings takes cover and aims during a pro-level prelim match on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Members of team Altitude Sickness from Colorado catch their breath between matches. The temperatures on the field of play in Kissimmee reached a high of 87°F during matches and required much-needed moments to hydrate and reset before heading to the next round of play. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
A player from the Edmonton Impact from Canada takes cover and crawls to avoid being hit by a paintball during a pro-level prelim match at the NXL World Cup of Paintball tournament in Kissimmee on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Texas Titans Paintball Team members, fully resupplied with paintball ammo, head through the net onto the playing field during a divisional match at the NXL World Cup of Paintball tournament in Kissimmee on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
A player from Edmonton Impact from Canada takes cover and aims during a pro-level prelim match at the NXL World Cup of Paintball tournament in Kissimmee on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Welts on the back of Tom Van Lierop from New Zealand are a reminder of the hits by the opposing team’s paintballs that he received during play with his team, the Manawatu Titans, in the NXL World Cup of Paintball tournament in Kissimmee on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Players from LAX in Louisiana quickly exit the field to inspect their gear and exchange strategy between rounds during a divisional prelim match against the Quebec Nordiques paintball team from Canada. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Referees lay low and watch the action on the field to notify players if they have been hit and are out of the round at the NXL World Cup of Paintball tournament in Kissimmee on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Quebec Nordiques’ Karl Gagnon clears debris from the paintball gun of Justin Valet before he heads back out onto the field during a match at the NXL World Cup of Paintball on Thursday, November 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
The sideline of Death Row paintball team from Palm Bay looks on as a player from the opposing LAX team takes a position to avoid a steady stream of paintballs aimed his way during a match at the NXL World Cup of Paintball on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
Originally Published: November 8, 2024 at 11:11 AM EST