Overwatch Champion Series (OWCS) 2024: Teams, Prizes. & Format

Overwatch is seeing massive success in its new era of esports. The Overwatch Champion Series 2024 has overhauled the Overwatch League (OWL), offering a fresh start and new opportunities for teams and players.

This all-new competitive format has been the circuit for the regional tournaments and the Dallas Major leading up to its ultimate event and season finale; the OWCS World Finals 2024 on November 22. We’ll look at every major event in the new Overwatch 2 ecosystem and their participating teams, prize pools, and tournament formats.

Tournament Structure and Format

Three major regions; North America (NA), Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa (EMEA), and Korea, Japan, and the Pacific (Asia) are participating in the Overwatch Champion Series 2024. Each major region has its own qualifying process and tournament structure.

For NA and EMEA: 

Teams will compete across four Stages in total throughout the season for circuit points which will earn them qualification for international events like the Major and World Finals. Each of the four Stages feature three tournament formats divided into an Open Qualifier and Main Event.

The Open Qualifier which typically lasts two weeks will have teams go through a Swiss Stage format followed by a Group Stage featuring the maximum of top 16 groups. The top two teams in the Group Stage advance to the Main Event which uses a double-elimination format.

 

For Asia:

The Asian region for Overwatch Champion Series 2024 consists of South Korea, Japan, and the Pacific region (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand). 

The structure offers a more tiered approach with 2 Stages. For each stage:

Tier 4: Online open qualifiers for each region. Top 9 teams from Korea and Japan and top 8 teams from the Pacific advance.

Tier 3: Regional Prelims. Korea and Japan teams compete in a Round-Robin format, while Pacific teams compete in Double Elims. Top 3 Korea teams and top 2 teams for Japan and Pacific advance. The Top 1 team from a Wildcard Round between the Korea #4, Japan #3, and Pacific #3 also advances.

Tier 2: Asia Championship. 8 teams compete in Double Elimination format. The top 2 advance to the Dallas Major (for Stage 1) and Stockholm Finals (for Stage 2). Top 4 qualify for the Esports World Cup (for Stage 1).

Through these regional tournaments, teams will be competing for spots in the two major international events of the OWCS 2024 season: The Mid-Season major at DreamHack Dallas from May 31 to June 2, and the World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm from November 22-24.

Prize Pools

The Dallas Major and the World Finals did not have a pre-determined amount for the prize pool. Instead, both introduced a crowdfunded bundle in the game featuring exclusive in-game cosmetics. 25% of the revenue from this bundle will be contributed to the prize pool, ensuring substantial rewards for the competing teams. 

In the regional stages, here are the total prize pool offered for the contenders:

• NA Stage 1 to 4 – 75,000 USD for each Stage
• EMEA Stage 1 to 4 -75,000 USD for each Stage
• Asia Stage 1 and 2 – 60,000 USD for each Stage

The Dallas major ended up with a prize pool of 250,000 USD distributed among the participants.

• Champion: 100,000 USD
• Runner-up: 50,000 USD
• 3rd Place: 25,000 USD
• 4th Place: 20,000 USD
• 5th and 6th Place: 15,000 USD
• 7th and 8th Place: 12,000 USD

OWCS 2024 World Finals Competing Teams

Eight teams have qualified for the OWCS 2024 World Finals, each with their own unique stories and aspirations.

Quick List

• Toronto Defiant (NA Stage 4, 1st)
• NTMR (NA Circuit Points, 1st)
• NRG Shock (NA Circuit Points, 2nd)
• Spacestation gaming (EMEA Stage 4, 1st)
• ENCE (EMEA Circuit Points, 1st)
• Twisted Minds (EMEA Circuit Points, 1st)
• Team Falcons (Asia Stage 2, 1st)
• Crazy Raccoon (Asia Stage 2, 2nd)

From North America, the Toronto Defiant have emerged as the dominant force, securing all four NA Stage Championships in 2024. Joining them are the rising stars of NTMR and the experienced NRG Shock, who will be eager to bounce back from their earlier setback.

In the EMEA region, Spacestation Gaming enters the World Finals as the top seed, having engaged in a captivating rivalry with ENCE throughout the year. ENCE and Twisted Minds, the #2 and #3 seeds respectively, will be aiming to make their mark on the international stage.

Representing Asia, Team Falcons and Crazy Raccoon have been the region’s undisputed top two teams, facing off an impressive ten times in 2024. The Falcons will be seeking redemption after narrowly missing out on the Dallas Major title, while Crazy Raccoon, the reigning champions, are determined to defend their crown.

Conclusion

The OWCS 2024 journey has been a long and arduous one, with the action kicking off as early as February. The regional qualifiers, main events, and playoffs have whittled down the competition, ultimately leading to the highly anticipated World Finals in Stockholm, Sweden, from November 22-24.

With the stage set and the teams ready to battle, the Overwatch Champion Series 2024 World Finals promises to be a must-watch event for any Overwatch enthusiast. The combination of top-tier competition, lucrative prizes, and exclusive in-game rewards ensures that the inaugural OWCS season will leave a lasting impact on the Overwatch esports landscape.