Overwatch League takes live events global, hosting Midseason Madness tournament in South Korea
After six years of competition, the Overwatch League’s LAN events are finally going global.
The Midseason Madness tournament, which caps off the first half of the 2023 season, will be held in South Korea from June 16 to June 18. While third-party and Overwatch Contenders LAN events are common in South Korea, this will be the first league-hosted live event in the country that boasts the most native Overwatch League players.
Teams and fans will head to Goyang Kintex arena in the Seoul Capital Area, which boasts a capacity of 3,075. Tickets sales for local fans–or extremely dedicated travelers–will go on sale on May 15.
Two teams from the East Region and four teams from the West Region will make it to the Midseason Madness tournament. The top two teams from the West Region, based on wins in the qualifier rounds that begin on April 27, will automatically make it to South Korea while two more slots will be earned through knockout matches.
East Region teams will have to earn those two spots in the Spring Stage Knockouts. There’s an especially spicy twist this season, too: East Region Overwatch Contenders teams will also be participating, so there’s a small chance we could see a Contenders team make it to an Overwatch League LAN.
They’ll have to make it past a few heavy hitters, though. After winning last year’s championship trophy, the Dallas Fuel restructured and decided to head to the East Region. Dallas will be looking for a new era of dominance, but they’ll have to compete with some of the region’s best. The Hangzhou Spark acquired 2021 league MVP Leave from the now-defunct Chengdu Hunters, putting the legendary clutch carry next to young phenom Shy.
As if Dallas and Hangzhou weren’t high enough mountains to climb, Contenders teams will also have to battle two Seoul teams for the first time. The Seoul Dynasty comes into this season with the most confusing DPS duo of veteran Profit and rookie Prophet, which at least spices up casting for everyone. On the other side of the city, the team formerly known as the Philadelphia Fusion has rebranded as the Seoul Infernal and will try to shed the team’s legendary bad luck.
If you’re a North American or European fan looking to catch all the Midseason Madness action, you may have to demolish your sleep schedule, but it’ll hopefully be worth it. Games start relatively early in Korea–about 10am KST–but that translates to 8pm CT across the ocean.
Matches also technically begin on June 15 in North America due to time zone differences, so keep that in mind on your calendars.
The sixth Overwatch League season begins at 2pm CT on April 27 with West Region games. East Region games kick off at 3am CT on April 29.
Liz “mizliz” Richardson is a freelance journalist, editor, and esports nerd based out of Chicago. Over the past four years, Liz has cemented herself as one of the most prominent remaining voices in Overwatch 2 and Overwatch League coverage. She’s been nominated twice for Esports Journalist of the Year by the Esports Awards, has been featured on the Overwatch League site and broadcast multiple times, and has probably authored a few terrible memes that have crossed your Twitter timeline. Inviting new fans–especially of marginalized genders or identities–into the esports scene is Liz’s greatest passion in journalism, followed close behind by humorous pieces and the big, bold feature stories that make the grind worth it. When Liz isn’t dunking reply guys on the internet, she’s likely treasure hunting at thrift stores, crafting sparkly jewelry, or making poor life choices at Target and Ulta.