Last weekend, Games Workshop once again hosted one of its Warhammer Opens, this time heading to Newport, one of the most historic cities in South Wales. Here you can find the enormous Roman fortress of Isca Augusta, once home to the Legio II Augusta, while the city later became one of the region’s most important ports for the export of coal, iron and steel.

But we’re not here for a history lesson. We’re here to talk about toy soldiers.

As we mentioned, Games Workshop chose this iconic Welsh city to host its seventh Warhammer Open of 2026. The next stop will be Kraków, before Atlanta brings this year’s Warhammer Open circuit to a close.

So, what makes the Warhammer Opens special?

For starters, these events are organised directly by Games Workshop. They also award Golden Tickets to the World Championships of Warhammer, which will take place in Barcelona this December.

But from a competitive point of view, there’s another reason they’re particularly interesting: they’re eight-round events. That gives the best players from the region, alongside some of the strongest international competitors, an entire weekend to battle it out across the tables.

And that brings us to what we’re really here for: what actually happened at the Warhammer Open Newport?

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Performance

Scroll through the lists from the Warhammer Open: Newport 2026 and one thing jumps out straight away: Stormcast Eternals just won’t quit. It was the clear top pick, with eight lists and 64 games under its belt, nearly double anything else on the table. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it was a one army show, because 23 different factions turned up. Right behind Stormcast you’ll find a tight little cluster sitting at four players each (Daughters of Khaine, Ironjawz, Kruleboyz, Maggotkin of Nurgle and Soulblight Gravelords), all clearly having a moment. And then there’s the part we love most about these breakdowns, the long tail: eight factions, more than a third of everything fielded at Newport, showed up backed by just one dedicated general, everyone from Fyreslayers to Lumineth Realm-lords, which brought up the rear with only five games played. If your army was one of those underdogs, take a bow, you’re exactly what made this tournament interesting.

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Winrates

If there’s one faction everyone keeps talking about right now, it’s Fyreslayers, and Newport made the case loud and clear with a flawless 100% win rate. This isn’t a one-off either: it’s now been sitting at the top of the win rate charts for six straight weeks, so we’re not talking about a lucky run, we’re talking about a machine that just keeps delivering.

Right behind it comes Helsmiths of Hashut, closing in on 66%, followed by a tightly packed group between 59% and 63% made up of Disciples of Tzeentch, Idoneth Deepkin, Sons of Behemat and Ironjawz. Four very different armies that all proved this weekend they’re clearly punching above average, so if you’re on the fence about what to bring to your next event, any of these lists is a safe bet.

A little further down sits a solid group between 54% and 57%: Seraphon, Cities of Sigmar, Soulblight Gravelords, Flesh-eater Courts and Sylvaneth, all performing above fifty percent without quite breaking away from the pack. Right on the fifty percent line you’ll find Blades of Khorne and Nighthaunt, that classic coin flip zone that’s perfect if you want variety without giving up competitiveness.

And here’s the part we love pointing out: Stormcast Eternals, by far the most played army at Newport, finished below 50%, a 39.1% that puts it alongside Lumineth Realm-lords, Kruleboyz and Skaven near the bottom of the table, keeping company with Daughters of Khaine, Slaves to Darkness, Maggotkin of Nurgle and Hedonites of Slaanesh, all hovering around 47%. Being the most popular pick doesn’t mean you’re winning the most games, and this weekend made that abundantly clear.

Closing out the table, Ossiarch Bonereapers takes the wooden spoon of the event with a 12.5% win rate after just eight games. As always with sample sizes this small, it’s worth taking those extremes with a grain of salt, a couple of different results and the picture could look quite different.

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First Place- Philip Springall

Let’s get to know Phil a little better before diving into his list and his performance at the Warhammer Open Newport.

Phil currently sits first in the UK ITC rankings, establishing himself as one of the standout players on the British competitive Age of Sigmar scene.

So far in 2026, Phil has competed in six GTs, putting together some impressive results across several different factions. The standout achievement is undoubtedly his victory at the Warhammer Open Birmingham on 29 May, where he took first place with Sylvaneth. He also claimed another win at PubHammer Open 5, this time leading the Lumineth Realm-lords, as well as a fifth-place finish with Fyreslayers at the recent Mighty Founding GT, organised by our friends at Good Games Club.

On top of that, Phil competed at the 2025 World Championships of Warhammer, where he took to the tables with his Fyreslayers.

So, we’re looking at a player with plenty of experience at the highest level and, above all, a true veteran when it comes to playing these fiery little lunatics.

The List

A glimpse of tasteful sideboob catches your eye as bounding ginger beardlocks and thundering thighs race towards you.
(ft. The Poor man's 20)
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Fyreslayers | Warrior Kinband
Points: 2000/2000 points
Drops: 4 drops
Battle Tactics: Siege of Ashes / Burning for Vengeance
Prayer Lore: Vulkyn Gifts (SoA)
Manifestation Lore: Magmic Invocations
Faction Terrain: Magmic Battleforge
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General's Regiment
Auric Runefather on Magmadroth (320)
• General
• Thickened Scales (20 pts)
9x SoA Vulkyn Flameseekers (160)
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Regiment 1
Auric Runesmiter (90)
• Ash-cloud Rune
10x Auric Hearthguard (200)
• Reinforced
10x Hearthguard Berzerkers with Flamestrike Poleaxes (220)
• Reinforced
9x SoA Vulkyn Flameseekers (160)
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Regiment 2
Auric Runesmiter (90)
10x Auric Hearthguard (200)
• Reinforced
10x Hearthguard Berzerkers with Flamestrike Poleaxes (220)
• Reinforced
9x SoA Vulkyn Flameseekers (160)
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Regiment 3
Auric Runemaster (160)
• Ash-Beard

Matchups

1. 70/6 – Jonathon Fisher – Helsmiths of Hashut
2. 71/31 – Alex Bruce – Lumineth Realm-lords
3. 77/15 – Natty Rees – Daughters of Khaine
4. 75/16 – Phil Marshall – Flesh-eater Courts
5. 63/62 – Paul Richards – Slaves to Darkness
6. 52/51 – Gareth Hall – Idoneth Deepkin
7. 76/48 – Thomas Morieul – Cities of Sigmar
8. 77/56 – Simon Weakley – Disciples of Tzeentch

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Simon Weakley

Simon lost the final to Phil and, while history tells us that nobody remembers the runners-up, here at The Generals Hub, we’ve got room for them too.

We don’t have a huge amount of information on Simon, other than the fact that he currently sits 42nd in the UK ITC rankings. However, despite only making a handful of GT appearances in 2026, he has already put together some impressive results: alongside his second-place finish at the Warhammer Open Newport, he also secured third place at Feud on the Fens.

Simon is also a veteran of the competitive scene. He competed at the 2023 World Championships of Warhammer in Atlanta, the same year he was crowned Southampton GT champion.

The List

Tzeentch 2000/2000 pts
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Grand Alliance Chaos | Disciples of Tzeentch | Mutants and Mad Things
General's Handbook 2026-27
Drops: 3
Spell Lore - Lore of Fate
Manifestation Lore - Manifestations of Tzeentch
Battle Tactics Cards: Burning for Vengeance and Flanking Firestorm
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General's Regiment
Lord of Change (390)
• General
• Fate Slicer
Blue Horrors and Brimstone Horrors (240)
• Reinforced
Chaos Spawn of Tzeentch (60)
Chaos Spawn of Tzeentch (60)
Fatemaster (150)
• Silver Summoner
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Regiment 1
Fateskimmer, Herald of Tzeentch on Burning Chariot (140)
Burning Chariot of Tzeentch (140)
• Vision of Arcane Sacrifice
Scourge of Aqshy: Screamers of Tzeentch (110)
Scourge of Aqshy: Screamers of Tzeentch (110)
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Regiment 2
Curseling, Eye of Tzeentch (170)
Kairic Acolytes (90)
Tzaangors (340)
• Reinforced
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Faction Terrain
Argent Shard
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Created with Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The App
App: v1.36.0 (1) | Data: v466

Matchups

1. 70/30 – Monty Brindle – Stormcast Eternals
2. 80/49 – Carlton Leonard – Nighthaunt
3. 66/42 – Adam Poolman – Stormcast Eternals
4. 76/53 – Natty Rees – Daughters of Khaine
5. 67/65 – Kieran Hurley – Soulblight Gravelords
6. 69/63 – Seb Donley – Sons of Behemat
7. 66/59 – Michel Jacobs – Ironjawz
8. 56/77 – Philip Springall – Fyreslayers

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