Blizzard EntertainmentThe third season of Overwatch League is finally here as the New York Excelsior and Dallas Fuel host the first homestands of the new season. 10 teams, including the defending champion San Francisco Shock, are playing this weekend, and we’re bringing all of the action to you here.
The long offseason for Overwatch League is finally over, and all 20 teams have geared up for a third season. This time, the effects of both homecrowd atmosphere and travel will be felt by the players, as Blizzard has opted to switch to a “homestand” format.
For the past two seasons, OWL has operated predominantly out of the Blizzard Arena in Los Angeles, California, with a handful of homestands to keep things fresh, as well as a season two grand finals held in Philadelphia.
Ben Pursell for Blizzard EntertainmentNow, different teams will head to differently hosted homestands each weekend, in a similar trend to the ongoing inaugural Call of Duty League. New York and Dallas are splitting duties for the first weekend. Several scheduled homestands in China have been canceled due to the Coronavirus outbreak, and will have to be rescheduled.
STREAM
Just before the Call of Duty League Launch Weekend began, it was announced that both CDL and the Overwatch League would stream exclusively on YouTube Gaming for 2020.
You can watch the livestream here:
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
All of the matches will be played over the course of two days – February 8-9 – with the action kicking off at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on both Saturday and Sunday
February 8
| Match | Location | PST | EST | GMT |
| Paris Eternal 1 – 3 Toronto Defiant | The Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York | 10 AM | 1 PM | 6 PM |
| New York Excelsior 3 – 1 London Spitfire | The Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York | 12 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM |
| Vancouver Titans 3 – 2 Los Angeles Gladiators | The Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas | 2 PM | 5 PM | 10 PM |
| Dallas Fuel 1 – 3 Los Angeles Valiant | The Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas | 4 PM | 7 PM | 12 AM |
February 9
| Match | Location | PST | EST | GMT |
| Paris Eternal 3 – 0 London Spitfire | The Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York | 10 AM | 1 PM | 6 PM |
| New York Excelsior 3 – 0 Boston Uprising | The Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, New York | 12 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM |
| Vancouver Titans 3 – 0 Los Angeles Valiant | The Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas | 2 PM | 5 PM | 10 PM |
| Dallas Fuel 1 – 3 San Francisco Shock | The Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas | 4 PM | 7 PM | 12 AM |
Robert Paul for Blizzard EntertainmentFORMAT & RULES
Unlike the four-map set used in previous seasons, matches will now use a first-to-three-wins match set. The reason it is a first-to-three and not a best-of-five is because of the existence of draws. Draws will not count as a win, and teams will break after every two maps.
All 20 teams will play 28 regular-season games. The winners of each of the two conferences will advance to playoffs, as will the other four teams with the best records. Teams ranked 7-12 at the end of the season will compete in the play-in tournament for two final playoff spots.
TEAMS & ROSTERS
Boston Uprising
- DPS: Colourhex, Jerry, Munchkin
- Tank: Axxiom, brussen, Fusions, Mouffin
- Healer: Myunbong, Swimmer
Dallas Fuel
- DPS: aKm, Decay, Doha, ZachaREEE
- Tank: Gamsu, NotE, Trill
- Healer: Closer, Crimzo, HarryHook, uNKOE
Los Angeles Gladiators
- DPS: birding, Jaru, MirroR
- Tank: Bischu, LhCloudy, OGE, SPACE
- Healer: BigGoose, Paintbrush, Shaz
Los Angeles Valiant
- DPS: Apply, KSF, KSP, Shax
- Tank: Dreamer, GiG, McGravy
- Healer: Lastro, RaiN
London Spitfire
- DPS: ALTHOUGH, Babel, Glister, Schwi
- Tank: BERNAR, Clestyn, Jihun, JMAC
- Healer: Fuze, Highly, Krillin, SanGuiNar
New York Excelsior
- DPS: Libero, Nenne, Saebyeolbe, WhoRU
- Tank: Bianca, HOTBA, Mano
- Healer: Anamo, Jjonak, Mandu
Paris Eternal
- DPS: NiCOgdh, SoOn, Sp9rk1e, Xzi
- Tank: BenBest, Hanbin, NoSmite, Smex
- Healer: FDGoD, Greyy, HyP, Kruise
San Francisco Shock
- DPS: ANS, Architect, Rascal, sinatraa, Striker
- Tank: ChoiHyoBin, smurf, super
- Healer: moth, Viol2t
Toronto Defiant
- DPS: Agilities, Logix, Mangachu, Surefour
- Tank: Beast, Nevix
- Healer: KariV, Kellex, RoKy
Vancouver Titans
- DPS: Haksal, SeoMinSoo, Stitch
- Tank: Fissure, JJANU
- Healer: ryujehong, SLIME, Twilight