This is a massive opportunity for Open Division and Contenders teams in the East.
Here’s hoping there’s the All-Star event will return too. During some bye weeks, there will be Overwatch World Cup qualifiers and small tournaments. Meanwhile, although there are several bye weeks throughout the season (which is a good idea to give players more breaks from competition), you’ll still be able to get your Overwatch 2 esports fix. They’ll be based on teams’ overall records in regional qualifiers. League Points will no longer be used to determine the standings. Play-ins and Play-offs are slated to take place in September and Grand Finals are scheduled for October. Open Division and Contenders teams in the East can play a part in that stage as well. The Summer Stage will run throughout July and August. The Midseason Madness tournament is scheduled to take place in June. We’ll find out more details about live events soon.
The top teams from knockouts will qualify for Midseason Madness. The best teams from Opens and Spring Stage qualifiers will move on to a knockout tournament.
Twelve teams will advance to Spring Stage Opens, which will take place at the same time as East-region OWL teams compete in qualifiers. Open Division and Contenders teams will take part in tournaments in South Korea, Asia Pacific and Australia/New Zealand. In the East region, which has always had fewer OWL teams than the West, Blizzard is creating a more open format.
