2021 Overwatch League season

The 2021 Overwatch League season will be the fourth season of the Overwatch League (OWL), a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch. The regular season will begin in April 2021.

2021 Overwatch League season
LeagueOverwatch League
SportOverwatch
DurationApril – September
Number of teams20

League changes

Regions

After all matches were rescheduled to be played strictly online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season saw the OWL divide teams into to regions, North America and Asia, in an effort to reduce lag. For the 2021 season, the twenty teams will be divided into two regions, the East and West. Eight teams from China and South Korea will compete in the East Region, while twelve teams from North America and Europe will compete in the West Division.[1]

Midseason tournaments

The league will expand upon the tournament format that was introduced in the 2020 season. Four standalone tournaments will be spread throughout the regular season with teams from both regions competing against each other.[2] Teams in each region will play in regional qualifier matches, and the top four teams from each region will qualify and compete in the four tournaments.[3] In an effort to minimize lag, the top teams from the West Region will travel to Hawaii, where they will face the top teams from the East Region, with the matches played via a directly-routed connection from Hawaii to Asia.[4]

References
  1. Amenabar, Teddy (January 14, 2021). "Overwatch League wants to 'level-up' online matches, tournaments for 2021 season". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. Richardson, Liz (January 14, 2021). "Overwatch League announces 2021 season structure, will begin in April". Dot Esports. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  3. Hitt, Kevin (January 14, 2021). "Overwatch League Announces 2021 Format and Changes". The Esports Observer. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  4. Spector, Jon (January 14, 2021). "Overwatch League Community Update: 2021 Season Structure". The Overwatch League. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
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