The Overwatch Contenders program provides an opportunity for players to test their skills against the best in other regions and potentially move towards a professional career.
This year the Overwatch competitive team is welcoming more regions than ever. Players will now get to experience a full Path to Pro tournament in the East. Blizzard recently announced the Contenders Pacific Showdown. Essentially, this is where top teams from the Asia Pacific regions will compete against each other online from Dec. 19–22 (KST).
Check out some initial details about the tournament below and your chance to win cool Hanzo and Cassidy skins.
REGIONS AND QUALIFICATION
As usual, the Contenders Pacific Showdown will feature teams from current Contenders regions. Interestingly, this year’s Pacific Showdown will also feature teams from regions that currently do not have Contenders programs.
- Contenders regions: Mainland China, South Korea, and Australia/New Zealand
- Non-Contenders regions: Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, and other countries in Southeast Asia
There will be a total of 8 teams invited to participate in the Contenders Pacific Showdown tournament. The top 3 teams from Run It Back Mainland China and South Korea, as well as the winner of Run It Back Australia/New Zealand, will comprise the first 7 teams. The final team will be determined in a qualifier featuring 8 non-Contenders teams from regional third-party tournaments.
Here’s the breakdown of third-party tournaments; the top two teams from each of these events will be invited to the single-elimination qualifiers on Dec. 12–13 (KST).
| Region | Event Name | Organizer |
| Japan | Overwatch 2 WDG Open Tournament Japan (Nov. 19–27) | WDG |
| Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau | Overwatch 2 TW/HK/MO Community Challenge (Nov. 19–20) | Infamous Creative |
| Thailand | Overwatch 2 AIS Open Thailand (Dec. 6–Dec. 10) | AIS Esports |
| Southeast Asia | Overwatch 2 Into the SEA Tournament (Nov. 17–27) | Roof Esports |
TOURNAMENT FORMAT AND PRIZE POOL
The Contenders Pacific Showdown will be an eight-team double-elimination tournament over four days. Click here for the full match schedule.
A total prize pool of US $150,000 will be awarded to participating teams. Here’s how it’ll be doled out:
| Place | Team Winnings (in USD) |
| 1st | $52,500 |
| 2nd | $37,500 |
| 3rd | $22,500 |
| 4th | $15,000 |
| 5th/6th | $6,750 |
| 7th/8th | $4,500 |
OVERWATCH CONTENDERS LEAGUE VIEWERSHIP INCENTIVES
For the duration of the Contenders Pacific Showdown tournament, watching live matches will earn you Overwatch Contenders home and away skins for Cassidy and Hanzo.
Click here to read more about how to link your Battle.net account to earn rewards.
