The Overwatch Champions Series is the brand new tier-one competitive Overwatch 2 circuit replacing the Overwatch League. In comparison to the Overwatch League, which had a franchised model, OWCS is open to anyone who wants to form a roster and compete.
This type of open circuit means even more players now have the opportunity to work their way up to the very highest level of OW2 gameplay. However, with the new format comes a longer and more complicated process for qualifying in the first place.
Here are all of the details you’ll need to learn how teams will qualify for the OWCS in North America and EMEA. The Asia region has a separate qualification process.
How to register for the OWCS
The first step in the process of competing in the OWCS is the Open Qualifier for Stage One of the season. The Open Qualifier is a Swiss-style tournament with nine rounds. All properly registered teams will play in the first week, and the top 16 teams will move on to competition in the second and third weeks.
The OWCS Open Qualifier begins on March 1 in both North America and EMEA. Teams have up until Feb. 29 to complete their registration. All teams that register successfully and meet all of the requirements will compete in the Swiss stage.
The qualifications for a team to register for the OWCS Open Qualifier are the following, according to the Overwatch Esports’ website:
- Rosters may have a maximum of eight players.
- All players must be at least 17 years of age.
- Rosters may have a maximum of two non-resident players across OWCS regions.
- All players on a given roster must have an account in good standing on FACEIT, Overwatch 2, and Blizzard profile pages.
If all of the players on your roster meet these requirements, you’ll head to the FACEIT website to officially register in NA or EMEA. Upon the start of the stage, rosters will be locked.
How does the OWCS work? Full OWCS qualifying format
The OWCS will be a year-long circuit that is just getting started with Stage One in March. Each stage includes an Open Qualifier and then the double-elimination bracket main event. After the first two stages, which will have a similar format, the top teams will compete at the first OWCS Major in Dallas in June.
Following the first major, Stages Three and Four will start with a similar format to Stages One and Two, and eventually, teams from each region will go to the OWCS finals in Stockholm.
The format of each individual stage, which occurs within each region only, is as follows.
The first week of each stage begins with the Open Qualifier. For Stage One this will be on March 1. This first week is a Swiss-style tournament where up to 512 teams can compete. Within just this first week, the number of teams will be reduced to 16.
In weeks two and three, the 16 teams will be split into groups and cut in half, to eight. The main event for each region will be a double-elimination bracket between these final eight teams.
After Stages One and Two, the teams moving on to the first Major will be determined by circuit points.
There is no automatic qualification from one stage to another in the OWCS, so even the team that finishes first place will have to play in the Open Qualifier again. However, teams will get circuit points depending on how well they place in each stage. Circuit points also come with prize money.
Teams competing at the first OWCS Major in Dallas will be determined by tallied points from both Stage One and Stage Two. Teams competing at the OWCS Finals in Stockholm will be determined by cumulative points over all four stages.
In Asia, the format is altered and does not include circuit points but rather factors team placement, with each stage having its own championships for each stage.
In case rosters change between each stage, circuit points will stay with individuals. However, this gives an advantage to rosters that stick together through the OWCS season.
