OWL reveals South Korea dates for Midseason Madness
The Overwatch League (OWL) has announced that this year's Midseason Madness tournament will take place in South Korea at the Goyang Kintex, marking the first League-hosted LAN event in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The event features a prize pool of $900,000 (£720,000) and the winning team is set to take home $500,000 (£400,000).
The event will run from June 15-17 for North American viewers (June 16-18 in Korea), with matches starting daily at 6 pm PT (2 am BST, 10 am KST).
Goyang Kintex Arena Details and Ticket Sales
The Goyang Kintex, located in the Seoul Capital Area, will host the competing teams in its 10B Hall, which has a capacity of 3,075 spectators. Tickets for the event will go on sale starting May 15.
The location sports a rich esports history and has hosted multiple events such as the South Korean League of Legends franchise league LCK.
Competitive Format and Team Matchups
The Midseason Madness will showcase six teams—four from the West and two from the East. The eight regular season matches in the run-up to Midseason Madness will serve as a qualification round for the Overwatch League teams in both regions.
In the East, the top two teams will qualify from the East Spring Stage Knockouts, with the added element of Contenders teams having a chance to secure a spot if they come out on top. The top two seeded teams from the West will automatically qualify, while the remaining two spots will be determined by the top teams from the West Spring Stage Knockouts.
For the first time, the Overwatch League will only feature one seasonal tournament outside of the playoffs and the outcome of the Midseason Madness will not impact playoff qualification.
While there are now fewer tournaments per season, the Overwatch League appears to have pooled its resources into one larger event at a dedicated venue.
In prior seasons, the Overwatch League had as many as three tournaments outside the seasonal playoffs. As part of its COVID-19 contingency plan, the OWL hosted events in Hawaii for North American teams to ensure a playable latency range when playing against those teams residing in the APAC region. Especially in season 5, the event location at UH Mānoa sparked criticism for its small setup.
