Though the Overwatch League 2023 season is only just about to start, fans already have the Contenders scene across the world to watch upcoming talent compete against each other. The pre-season tournament saw some of the best Contenders teams in the West face off against established league teams, so learning more about the competition matters more than ever before.
From the collegiate scene in North America to some of the best talent available in South Korea, there are plenty of tournaments and livestreams to keep an eye on. Here is a schedule rundown for the Contenders scene in Overwatch 2, as well as where to watch these players compete.
Korean, Australian and Asia Pacific Overwatch Contenders schedule and how to watch
When it comes to the tier two regions around the Eastern division in the Overwatch League, their Spring Series started back in March and ended earlier in April 2023. This mainly has to do with the different versions of the Pro-Am tournament they provide. The Western Pro-Am is already over, too, but Eastern Contenders teams will compete in the Spring Stage Opens, which begin on April 24, 2023. Just afterward, on April 29, the Australia & New Zealand Open Division begins to see which teams make it to Contenders.
Across the three regions of Korea, Australia, and Asia Pacific, the teams in the Opens qualified via their Spring Series placements, and will now battle it out to see who makes it to the Overwatch League to compete against teams in the Eastern Division in the Spring Stage knockouts.
This process repeats itself later in the year, with the Summer Series leading to the Summer Stage Opens. The former series is expected to run from late May to early June 2023, and the latter will take place in July 2023.
There are six spots available for these Contenders teams, expanding the division to a total of 12 teams for the knockouts. The Spring Stage Opens end on May 2, and they are streamed on the Overwatch Contenders YouTube channel.
After the Summer Stage, teams will compete in both a third Open Division and a Fall Series, but with no more chance to fight against Overwatch League teams.
North American and European Overwatch Contenders 2023 schedule
For North America and Europe, everything began on April 24. The Spring Series starts the Contenders scene for the year in both of these regions. The Open Division champions and the invited Contenders teams will compete in both North America and EMEA. The Spring Series will stretch to June 10.
A lot of these teams already have experience against each other from the Pro-Am Qualifiers in EMEA and North America. With the Pro-Am preseason ending prior to this competition, the Spring Series won’t provide a qualification spot for Overwatch League.
For Europe and North America, the Open Division is the way for tier three teams to make it to Contenders, and qualifications for the Summer Series start soon. Starting on April 29, both regions will compete to see which are the top two teams will make it to Contenders.
Plus, collegiate Overwatch competitions return in late August 2023, running until late October. All of these competitions will also be streamed on the Contenders YouTube channel.
Calling All Heroes tournament schedules for 2023
Earlier this year, the Overwatch team revealed that the successful Calling All Heroes tournament will become a season-long series in 2023. This marginalized gender-only series all culminates in three Majors, three Minors, a Last Chance Qualifier, and the final Championship.
The first Radiant Major begins on April 21, ending on April 23. The second major goes from July 7-9, and the third goes from Nov. 17-19.
The LCQ and Championship are in late January and early February 2024. All these games will be streamed on the Radiant Twitch channel.
