Overwatch League 2019 Season Kicks Off With 20 Teams, $5 Million Prize Pool

The Overwatch League’s 2019 season officially kicked off on Thursday. Eight new teams join the roster this year to compete for a $5 million prize pool.

“We’ve added eight new teams and nearly 100 new players to the Overwatch League, and we’re really excited to see the influx of new talent and to see how teams approach the daunting task of winning the league championship,” said Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer. “Look for the quality of play to rise as the league continues to get even more competitive. The talents of our extraordinary players are going to be on display for the world to see. Come watch with the best of us!”

Related stories

Overwatch League Reveals Its 2019 Regular Season Broadcast Schedule

A Troll Curse Is Spreading Through 'Hearthstone'

'Overwatch' League Shop Goes Live With Gear From All 20 Leagues

All 20 teams will play matches during the opening week. The full schedule includes:

Thursday, Feb. 14

• Philadelphia Fusion vs. London Spitfire, 4 p.m. PST

• New York Excelsior vs. Boston Uprising, 5:30 p.m. PST

• Seoul Dynasty vs. Los Angeles Gladiators, 7 p.m. PST

• Shanghai Dragons vs. Hangzhou Spark, 8:30 p.m. PST

Friday, Feb. 15

• Toronto Defiant vs. Houston Outlaws, 4 p.m. PST

• Atlanta Reign vs. Florida Mayhem, 5:30 p.m. PST

• Dallas Fuel vs. San Francisco Shock, 7 p.m. PST

• Chengdu Hunters vs. Guangzhou Charge, 8:30 p.m. PST

Saturday, Feb. 16

• London Spitfire vs. Paris Eternal, 12 p.m. PST

• Washington Justice vs. New York Excelsior, 1:30 p.m. PST

• Los Angeles Valiant vs. Hangzhou Spark, 3 p.m. PST

• Vancouver Titans vs. Shanghai Dragons, 4:30 p.m. PST

Sunday, Feb. 17

• Houston Outlaws vs. Boston Uprising, 12 p.m. PST

• Philadelphia Fusion vs. Atlanta Reign, 1:30 p.m. PST

• San Francisco Shock vs. Los Angeles Gladiators, 3 p.m. PST

• Seoul Dynasty vs. Dallas Fuel, 4:30 p.m. PST

Fans can watch this year’s Overwatch League matches in a number of ways. All of them will be available on the official app and website, MLG.com, and the MLG app (except on Saturday, Sunday, and other days exclusive to Twitch). They can also tune in using the Blizzard Battle.net launcher or the “Overwatch” game client.

All 2019 OWL matches will be available on Twitch. The two just launched a new and improved All-Access Pass membership that lets viewers customize their experience. Twitter will host daily Watchpoint shows immediately before and after scheduled matches, along with a selection of OWL clips.

All regular season matches will also be available on the ESPN app. Three matches per week will air on Disney XD: the final match of each Thursday, which begins at 8:30 p.m. PST, as well as the first two matches each Sunday, which begin at noon and 1:30 p.m. PST. Select matches will air on ABC and ESPN 2. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Playoffs and the All-Star Game will air on ABC, while ESPN2 will carry the Stage 3 Finals.

Chinese “Overwatch” fans can view matches on overwatchleague.cn and the Overwatch League app. Zhanqi.tv, NetEase CC, Bilibili, and Huya and will also air matches on their respective branded platforms. In France, Mediawan will show league highlights on the Mangas Network, while Sport1 will air live matches on Esports1 and league highlights on Sport1 in Germany.

While last year’s season was mainly confined to the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, the league will go on the road for 2019 Homestand Weekend events, where teams will officially host matches in their home cities. They will take place in Dallas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles on the following dates:

• April 27–28: The Dallas Fuel will host the Chengdu Hunters, Hangzhou Spark, Houston Outlaws, London Spitfire, Los Angeles Valiant, Paris Eternal, and Seoul Dynasty at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas.

• July 6–7: The Atlanta Reign will host the Florida Mayhem, Guangzhou Charge, New York Excelsior, Philadelphia Fusion, Shanghai Dragons, Toronto Defiant, and Washington Justice.

• August 24–25: The Los Angeles Valiant will host the Atlanta Reign, Boston Uprising, Dallas Fuel, Hangzhou Spark, Los Angeles Gladiators, New York Excelsior, San Francisco Shock, Shanghai Dragons, and Vancouver Titans at The Novo by Microsoft at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, Calif.

Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!