ESL Faceit Group (EFG) has today announced the launch of an Overwatch Faceit League, a team league operated by competitive gaming platform Faceit.
The all-new open circuit invites players of all skill levels across six regions to compete for their chance to win a share of the $170,000 prize pool and secure a seat at top regional slots in the inaugural Esports World Cup (EWC) taking place this summer.
Faceit League builds on the success of the platform’s long-running Counter-Strike model, which fosters gaming communities through ‘always-on, consistent, and rewarding structured competition and an emphasis on teamwork’.
An extension of ESL Faceit Group’s multi-year agreement with Blizzard Entertainment to drive the growth of Overwatch Esports, the new community platform offers players opportunities to go from grassroots play to the world stage. It’s separate to the Overwatch Champions Series.
“The response from Overwatch players on Faceit has exceeded our expectations and illustrates the need for the robust, sustainable structure that we’re building with Faceit League,” said Warren Leigh, Senior Vice President of Product, Digital Platforms, ESL Faceit Group.
“With over 50 seasons of Counter-Strike experience building some of the most successful grassroots esports ecosystems, having the opportunity to support the Overwatch community with a bespoke program is incredibly exciting.”
Faceit League will offer multiple seven-week seasons each year, for players in North America, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, North Africa), Oceania and South America, to compete.
‘The circuit caters to all levels of players, from fledgeling first-timers to experienced teams, presenting more opportunities to showcase raw talent and help them practice, improve, and qualify for in-person events with substantial prize pools,’ Faceit said in a press release.
The Regular Season 1 takes place from April 29th to June 9th 2024, with the winning teams progressing to the Playoffs happening from June 10th to 23rd. Teams will then compete for a $170,000 Faceit League cash prize, as well as higher division promotion and a seat across EMEA, North America, Oceania and South America slots at the Esports World Cup taking place this Summer 2024.
Divisions for each region will be split into Master: Road to Esports World Cup; Expert, Advanced, and Open, with an Advanced division available for players from EMEA and North America. Expert and Advanced divisions will only be accessible via invitation to the top players based on their Elo rating, which starts based on players’ in-game ranks.
Registration for the Faceit League Season 1 ends on Thursday April 25th at 4pm GMT. For more details on the Faceit League structure and prize pool distribution, visit: faceit.com/en/league-pass/ow2
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
