Overwatch League is returning for its fifth season in 2022, and this year all eyes will be on the numerous changes that go along with the league’s switch to a beta version of Overwatch 2.
This year, players will play on OW2, in the new five-vs-five format with the new game mode Push, the new maps, the new heroes, and the newly reworked heroes. The league format will be slightly altered as well.
The broadcasts and the matches will still continue to be shown on YouTube Gaming since the league signed an exclusive deal with the platform in 2020. Viewers can also link their Battle.net account to their YouTube account in order to earn league tokens that will go towards acquiring Overwatch League skins.
Official broadcasts will be streamed on the Overwatch League YouTube channel. There will also be official co-streams available to watch.
Here’s everything else you need to know about how to watch the Overwatch League 2022 season this year.
Format
Like last year, Overwatch League will take on four tournament cycles in the Kickoff Clash, Midseason Madness, Summer Showdown, and the Countdown Cup. Each tournament cycle will start with a “qualifier” portion, where the Western and Eastern teams will face each other in a season-like format to determine seeding for the tournament playoffs.
Playoffs for each tournament cycle will consist of double-elimination brackets for the East and West regions, featuring eight teams in West bracket and four teams in the East bracket. Teams will earn League Points for how they play in the qualifiers and playoffs for each tournament, and those points will determine who goes to the OWL playoffs at the end of the year.
For the Kickoff Clash, most qualifier matches will be online, except for the May 6 Texas Showdown between the Dallas Fuel and the Houston Outlaws at the Tech Port Arena in San Antonio. The Kickoff Clash Western playoffs are tentatively scheduled to be hosted at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Kickoff Clash Eastern playoff venue has yet to be determined.
The playoffs for the Summer Showdown are scheduled to be hosted in Toronto.
Schedule (all times CT)
Kickoff Clash
May 5
- 2pm: New York Excelsior 1-3 Los Angeles Gladiators
- 3:30pm: SF Shock 3-0 Paris Eternal
- 5pm: Florida Mayhem 1-3 Atlanta Reign
May 6
- 2pm: London Spitfire 0-3 San Francisco Shock
- 3:30pm: Boston Uprising 3-2 Vancouver Titans
- 5pm: Dallas Fuel 0-3 Houston Outlaws
May 7
- 2pm: Toronto Defiant 1-3 Washington Justice
- 3:30pm: Atlanta Reign 3-0 New York Excelsior
- 5pm: Boston Uprising 1-3 Los Angeles Gladiators
May 8
- 2pm: London Spitfire 3-0 Vancouver Titans
- 3:30pm: Paris Eternal 1-3 Florida Mayhem
- 5pm: Washington Justice 0-3 Dallas Fuel
- 6:30pm: Toronto Defiant 2-3 Houston Outlaws
May 13
- 2pm: Florida Mayhem @ Vancouver Titans
- 3:30pm: San Francisco Shock @ Houston Outlaws
- 5pm: Atlanta Reign @ Washington Justice
May 14
- 2pm: London Spitfire @ Boston Uprising
- 3:30pm: Dallas Fuel @ Los Angeles Gladiators
- 5pm: Vancouver Titans @ New York Excelsior
May 15
- 2pm: Houston Outlaws @ Florida Mayhem
- 3:30pm: San Francisco Shock @ New York Excelsior
- 5pm: Paris Eternal @ Toronto Defiant
May 20
- 5am: Philadelphia Fusion @ Shanghai Dragons
- 6:30am: Guangzhou Charge @ Los Angeles Valiant
- 8am: Seoul Dynasty @ Hangzhou Spark
- 2pm: Washington Justice @ Paris Eternal
- 3:30pm: New York Excelsior @ Florida Mayhem
- 5pm: Dallas Fuel @ Toronto Defiant
May 21
- 5am: Guangzhou Charge @ Chengdu Hunters
- 6:30am: Hangzhou Spark @ Shanghai Dragons
- 8am: Los Angeles Valiant @ Seoul Dynasty
- 2pm: Houston Outlaws @ London Spitfire
- 3:30pm: Los Angeles Gladiators @ San Francisco Shock
- 5pm: Toronto Defiant @ Boston Uprising
May 22
- 5am: Guangzhou Charge @ Philadelphia Fusion
- 6:30am: Seoul Dynasty @ Chengdu Hunters
- 8am: Hangzhou Spark @ Los Angeles Valiant
- 2pm: Vancouver Titans @ Atlanta Reign
- 3:30pm: Dallas Fuel @ Paris Eternal
- 5pm: Washington Justice @ Boston Uprising
May 26
- 5am: Philadelphia Fusion @ Seoul Dynasty
- 6:30am: Chengdu Hunters @ Hangzhou Spark
- 8am: Shanghai Dragons @ Guangzhou Charge
May 27
- 5am: Chengdu Hunters @ Philadelphia Fusion
- 6:30am: Guangzhou Charge @ Seoul Dynasty
- 8am: Shanghai Dragons @ Los Angeles Valiant
- 2pm: Los Angeles Gladiators @ London Spitfire
- 3:30pm: New York Excelsior @ Toronto Defiant
- 5pm: Vancouver Titans @ San Francisco Shock
May 28
- 5am: Hangzhou Spark @ Guangzhou Charge
- 6:30am: Shanghai Dragons @ Chengdu Hunters
- 8am: Los Angeles Valiant @ Philadelphia Fusion
- 2pm: Atlanta Reign @ London Spitfire
- 3:30pm: Paris Eternal @ Houston Outlaws
- 5pm: Florida Mayhem @ Washington Justice
May 29
- 5am: Seoul Dynasty @ Shanghai Dragons
- 6:30am: Chengdu Hunters @ Los Angeles Valiant
- 8am: Philadelphia Fusion @ Hangzhou Spark
- 2pm: Boston Uprising @ Dallas Fuel
- 3:30pm: Los Angeles Gladiators @ Atlanta Reign
Playoffs: June 2-5
- Schedule TBD
