Eleague and FACEIT are teaming up to offer a whopping $300,000 prize pool for the first major Overwatch tournament we’ve seen so far. Eleague was created earlier this year with the explicit goal of organizing and airing a massive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament, including 23 of world’s top teams duking it out over an 8-week regular season and a finals tournament taking place right now. FACEIT offers a robust online competition organizing service and are a natural fit for the online component of this tournament. Meanwhile, Eleague has experience housing live events with their new studio in Atlanta, where they’ll host the upcoming Overwatch tournament and, like their CS:GO finals, broadcast the event live on TBS.
This the first major Overwatch tournament and its significant prize pool is indicative of things to come for Overwatch esports. Many professional Overwatch teams are still in their infancy and Blizzard still hasn’t revealed their plans for structuring or regulating esports. It’s still anyone’s game so far. The Eleague and FACEIT organized event is an open tournament, meaning any competitive team has a chance to break into the event. Beginning this Saturday, July 23, teams from North America and Europe will compete in an online-only tournament to qualify for their regional finals, leading into the Grand Finals on Friday, Sept. 30.
For fans of Overwatch esports, this is a hugely exciting announcement that should increase the visibility of competitive Overwatch. The playoffs will include eight teams from each region, giving us 16 of the best teams from around the world. We’re already seeing amazing games from Overwatch esports teams in both North America and Europe, but haven’t had the opportunity to see an international competition at this scale. Each regional finals also includes a significant portion of the overall prize pool and goes a long way towards making a career in competitive Overwatch viable for these players. Many of the top-tier Overwatch players are veterans of other shooters, but there are also rising stars getting their start in Overwatch. Events like these give players and teams the opportunity solidify their place in esports and attract new fans.
Want to participate in the tournament yourself? You can sign up now at overwatchopen.com.
Check out more of our competitive Overwatch coverage below.