Next Season Introduces Overwatch League 2021 Roster Rules

The Overwatch League doesn’t feature the same tournament system as other international esports leagues, League of Legends World Championship and DotA 2’s The International. OWL follows the tournament format and team qualifications of sports leagues like the NBA and NFL. OWL teams compete based on their divisions, instead of invites and qualifications.

The league has been using the tournament format for three seasons now. It became an effective tool for finding promising players from different countries around the world. To continue their mission and find more deserving players and teams, Overwatch League announced that it’s currently making changes to the 2021 OWL Roster Rules.

So far, the league has finalized the new dates and roster rule amendments for the next season. Here are some of the most important details to remember:

Key Dates And Amendments

September 14, 2020: Teams may begin signing free agents who are not currently under contract to any Overwatch League team, and extending or otherwise signing their current roster players to standard contracts for the 2021 season.

September 21, 2020: Teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs are permitted to discuss 2021 contract terms with players whose contracts expire after the 2020 season or whose team options have not been exercised. Contracts for the 2021 season may not be signed until a player’s current team declines to extend the existing contract.

October 12, 2020: Teams may begin submitting player trades for review by the League Office.

October 23 to November 20, 2020: Any players not under contract into the 2021 season become free agents, with the specific expiration date dependent on the season in which their original agreement was executed.

November 23, 2020: Deadline for all teams to have a minimum of seven players signed to season-long contracts for the 2021 season. (See below for changes to player contract terms for the 2021 season.)

Teams are still allowed to make trades until the trade deadline chosen by OWL before the start of the 2021 season. The league can impose a roster lock date.

Player Contracts

Season-long contracts – Contracts with a minimum initial term of one season. The maximum term is three seasons.

30-day contracts – Teams with at least seven players signed to season-long contracts are allowed to sign additional players to 30-day contracts. Upon expiration, the player becomes a free agent. Contract extension is not allowed.