Overwatch League Switches to Tournament Format For May
Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment
It’s been a tumultuous 2020 season for the Overwatch League. The season started with all teams traveling from homestand to homestand. Then the Covid-19 pandemic forced several delays and cancellations. Several weeks ago the league switched to a three region, all-online play format. The League has just announced that there will be another format change as they head into the month of May. The Overwatch League will be switching to a regional tournament format for the month of May, complete with cash prizes.
For the month of May the League will be divided into two regions; North America and Asia. Thirteen teams will compete in the North American region and the other seven will compete in the Asian region. Each team will earn their seed for the tournament through the first three weeks of regular matches in May. Meaning teams sitting near the bottom like the Boston Uprising and Washington Justice won’t need to fight their way to the top.
Prizing and Bonus Wins
The Tournament itself will take place on May 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. The prize pool for the tournament between both regions is $225,000 USD. The champions for each region will net $40,000 apiece, while the 2nd place team will earn $20,000, and 3rd and 4th place will take home $5,000. Each tournament win per team will also earn an additional $5,000.
But it’s not just money that the teams are playing for. The two first-place teams in each region will get an additional three wins added to their overall regular-season record. For teams that had a poor start to the season, this could be a welcome bump to put them back into competitive running.
Teams by Region
The Overwatch League Tournament for May will be separated into two regions.
The teams that will compete in the North American region are; Atlanta Reign, Boston Uprising, Dallas Fuel, Florida Mayhem, Houston Outlaws, Los Angeles Gladiators, Los Angeles Valiant, Paris Eternal, Philadelphia Fusion, San Francisco Shock, Toronto Defiant, Vancouver Titans, and Washington Justice.
Below is the format for the North American Tournament once the seeding has been determined.
The teams that will compete in the Asian region are; Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, Hangzhou Spark, London Spitfire, New York Excelsior, Shanghai Dragons, and Seoul Dynasty. Below is the format for the Asian Region Tournament once the seeding has been determined.
For more details including the schedule for the Overwatch League throughout the month of May, visit the Overwatch League website here.
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