Read on for everything you need to know about OWCS 2025, including the schedule, format, how the circuit works, what to expect, and more.
At DreamHack Stockholm, Overwatch Esports announced the arrival of next year's Overwatch Champion Series (OWCS) circuit. With some of the circuit's details being a bit tricky, we've simplified everything here. Read on for everything you need to know about OWCS 2025, including the schedule, format, what to expect, and more. We also explain the new Promotion & Relegation tournament and OWCS Team Partner program.
Overwatch 2 OWCS 2025 explained
OWCS 2025 kicks off in January 2025 with an Open Qualifier for the North America (NA) and Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions. This Open Qualifier determines which Overwatch 2 teams advance to the OWCS Stage 1 Regular Season. Every match in the Regular Season is getting a broadcast as well.
Six teams then advance to the OWCS Stage 1 Playoffs and automatically qualify for the OWCS Stage 2 Regular Season. The top teams from the OWCS Stage 1 Playoffs advance to the live event.
Meanwhile, the bottom two teams from the OWCS Stage 1 Regular Season must enter the Promotion & Relegation tournament and fight against the top two teams from the FACEIT League: Master Series Playoffs.
The above also applies to OWCS Stage 2 and OWCS Stage 3. However, OWCS Stage 3 does not include another Promotion & Relegation tournament. In total, the OWCS 2025 circuit has three stages and international live events. The next OWCS World Finals tournament is slated for November 2025.
Overwatch 2 OWCS 2025 schedule
OWCS Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 Open Qualifier | January 16, 2025 |
| January 17, 2025 | |
| January 18, 2025 | |
| January 19, 2025 | |
| Stage 1 Regular Season | January 31, 2025 |
| February 1, 2025 | |
| February 2, 2025 | |
| February 7, 2025 | |
| February 8, 2025 | |
| February 9, 2025 | |
| February 14, 2025 | |
| February 15, 2025 | |
| February 16, 2025 | |
| February 21, 2025 | |
| February 22, 2025 | |
| February 23, 2025 | |
| Stage 1 Playoffs | March 1, 2025 |
| March 2, 2025 | |
| March 8, 2025 | |
| March 9, 2025 | |
| Stage 1 Live Event | To be announced |
| Stage 1 Promotion & Relegation Tournament | April 13, 2025 |
OWCS 2025 schedule and format: Stage 1
Stage 1 | Details |
|---|---|
| Regular Season | Single-phase tournament, 8-team single round robin |
| Top 6 teams advance to the Playoffs and qualify for the Stage 2 Regular Season | |
| Bottom 2 teams relegated to the Promotion & Relegation tournament | |
| Playoffs | Single-phase tournament, 6-team double-elimination bracket |
| Top teams advance to the live event | |
| Promotion & Relegation | Top 2 teams from FACEIT League: Master Series Playoffs and bottom 2 teams from OWCS Stage 1 Regular Season |
| A 4-team double-elimination tournament, 2 teams advance to OWCS Stage 2 regular season, 2 teams relegated to FACEIT League Master |
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OWCS 2025 schedule and format: Stage 2
Stage 2 | Details |
|---|---|
| Regular Season | Single-phase tournament, 8-team single round robin |
| Top 6 teams advance to the Playoffs | |
| Top 6 teams automatically qualify for the Stage 3 Regular Season | |
| Bottom 2 teams relegated to the Promotion & Relegation tournament | |
| Playoffs | Single-phase tournament, 6-team double-elimination bracket (Asia) |
| Top teams advance to the live event | |
| Promotion/Relegation | Top 2 teams from FACEIT League: Master Series Playoffs, bottom 2 teams from OWCS Stage 1 Regular Season |
| A 4-team double-elimination tournament, 2 teams advance to Stage 2 Regular Season, 2 teams relegated to FACEIT League Master |
OWCS 2025 schedule and format: Stage 3
Stage 3 | Details |
|---|---|
| Regular Season | Single-phase tournament, 8-team single round robin |
| Top 6 teams advance to the Playoffs | |
| Playoffs | Single-phase tournament, 6-team double-elimination bracket |
| Top teams advance to the live event |
OWCS 2025 Promotion & Relegation tournament
In each Overwatch 2 Promotion & Relegation tournament, the bottom two OWCS teams from the regular season get to duke it out against the top two teams from the FACEIT League: Master Series Playoffs. teams. At stake are spots in the OWCS Regular Season.
In an interview with esports.gg, OWCS NA and EMEA lead Bailey McCann revealed that these tournaments, in particular, allow more players to be a part of the Overwatch 2 esports ecosystem.
"I think the reception has been really great with our 2025 program," she said. "I think we're taking some steps to help provide more consistency for our players. Integrating FACEIT into our programming is really awesome [and] we're able to provide a space where people are able to continue to play in our ecosystem and have this consistent competition with our regular seasons kind of moving in between each other."
Head of Overwatch Esports Sean Miller echoed McCann's thoughts in another interview with esports.gg. "The power of an open ecosystem is there's such a low barrier to entry that if you're good, and if you can put together a team, you can make it to DreamHack, you can make it to these live events, you can make it to World Finals," Miller added. "And that's such a powerful story," he said.
FACEIT League: Master Series explained
The FACEIT League: Master Series is the pathway to OWCS 2025 Stage 2 and Stage 3 for NA and EMEA teams. This is done so via the OWCS Promotion & Relegation tournament.
OWCS Team Partner program explained
The OWCS Team Partner program supports up to nine Overwatch 2 esports teams across NA, EMEA, and Asia. Teams in this program get a portion of the crowdfunding proceeds through the in-game, team-branded bundles. Teams have until December 2, 2024 to declare their interest in this program.
That's all for now. Are you ready for OWCS 2025? Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates on all things Overwatch 2!
