In preparation for the sophomore Overwatch League (OWL) season, Blizzard just released a ton of new information regarding various aspects of the league, including a complete 2019 schedule, prize pool changes, and preseason information.

Overwatch League Preseason

Next, the 2019 preseason will begin on January 28th and end on February 4th. No specific match-ups have been finalized at this time. These clashes will serve as a good trial period for new and old teams alike, and we’ll get a preliminary read on each team’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as the meta for Season 2.

“Homestand Weekends”

Blizzard’s ambitious plan to have “home” and “away” games is slowly (but surely) coming to fruition. The first three teams (and cities) have already been decided upon — Dallas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles will host eight matches each in April, July, and August, respectively.

This is a huge step for the OWL as a whole, and while it might not be profitable right now, Blizzard knows that this is one of the most unique aspects of the Overwatch League and they’re making concrete steps in the right direction.

Bigger Prize Pool

Blizzard is also increasing the Overwatch League prize pool this year! The total prize pool for the 2019 season will be a whopping $5 million, up from a”measly” $3.5 million in 2018. The OWL champions will be pocketing $1.1 million.

The stage playoffs will also have bigger prizes, with the winners earning $200k, and the runner-ups taking $100k. That’s a lot of money for a single playoff final, and it should reward teams that have surges of brilliance as well as those who are able to maintain a certain level of excellence across multiple stages, like the New York Excelsior in 2018.

Stage 1 Maps

Blizzard also announced the Stage 1 map pool. While there’s a lot of what we’ve come to expect, there are a couple new additions as well. Maps like “Busan” and “Rialto” weren’t available last year when the OWL began, so we’re in for a real treat come February.

Season Two Schedule

Accompanying the initial map pool, Blizzard also announced the complete schedule for the 2019 season. You can check it out by visiting the official Overwatch League website. If you prefer offline access, you can download the official Season 2 schedule in PDF format.

To start things off, we have a very exciting rematch of the 2018 Grand Finals between London Spitfire and Philadelphia Fusion. Other than that, we also have a couple of thrilling clashes between old rivals like Dallas Fuel, San Francisco Shock, and the New York Excelsior.

With eight new teams in the mix, it will be exciting to see just how well they match up against the twelve veteran teams who have been playing at the highest level for a whole season.