Overwatch Realigns Divisional Format, Scheduling for 2020 Season

With the final stage of the 2019 Overwatch League season on the horizon, the 2020 season is getting closer and closer. Next year will be the season of homecomings, with matches breaking away from Los Angeles and playing out at home venues across the globe.

When the league was first launched, the teams were divided into Atlantic and Pacific Divisions to prepare for this evolution. In 2020, the Overwatch League will be going to hometown fans to showcase the amazing players around the globe, but the league also needs to be mindful of the challenges of team travel. To that end, the Pacific and Atlantic Divisions will become the Pacific and Atlantic Conferences, and further split into four divisions: Atlantic North, Atlantic South, Pacific East, and Pacific West.

2020 Divisions

Atlantic Conference

• North Division:
  • Boston Uprising
  • London Spitfire
  • New York Excelsior
  • Paris Eternal
  • Toronto Defiant

• South Division:
  • Atlanta Reign
  • Florida Mayhem
  • Houston Outlaws
  • Philadelphia Fusion
  • Washington Justice

Pacific Conference

• East Division:
  • Chengdu Hunters
  • Guangzhou Charge
  • Hangzhou Spark
  • Shanghai Dragons
  • Seoul Dynasty

• West Division:
  • Dallas Fuel
  • Los Angeles Valiant
  • Los Angeles Gladiators
  • San Francisco Shock
  • Vancouver Titans

Scheduling
Since 2017, Blizzard Arena Los Angeles has been the epicenter of our story. Next year, the global league is going home — actually, to many homes, with 52 homestand weekend events hosted at venues across the world.

Each team will host two homestands. On top of those, teams in each division will also collectively host three additional regular-season events in their home territories.

The 2020 season will begin in February next year and conclude in August. Teams will play 28 matches over the course of the regular season, facing in-conference opponents twice each and out-of-conference teams once each. All regular-season matches will be played on weekends, with times optimized for local markets.

The full 2020 schedule will be released next month, with tickets going on sale shortly after so you can plan your adventures with your friends.

Playoffs Tournament
Due to travel and scheduling requirements, the 2020 season will no longer be split into stages, but a midseason All-Stars event, which will guarantee matches during every week of the Overwatch League season. Teams will still have time to rest in their designated bye weeks, which will differ from team to team.

At the conclusion of the season, the best teams will come together for an epic tournament to crown a champion at the Grand Finals.