Hello FACEIT League players!
Following a record-breaking Season 7 that saw 409 teams competing, we are now entering the final phase to determine the seasonal champions and the first teams to bridge into OWCS Stage 1. You can watch the Master Division Playoffs on the official Overwatch Esports channels (Twitch and YouTube) on February 8th, where Bullskunk will host and cast the broadcast with Spectrion joining for EMEA matches and LemonKiwi for NA matches. Viewership drops will be active featuring a pool of over 500,000 FACEIT Points. Furthermore, coverage of the Expert and lower division playoffs will be provided through 10 partner co-streamers, who will be live until February 15th with FACEIT Point drops enabled.
The results of these playoffs have important implications, as the Top 4 Master Division teams from Season 7 will qualify directly for Phase 2 of the OWCS Stage 1 Open Qualifiers on February 21st, effectively bridging the gap between FACEIT League and OWCS. With FACEIT League Season 7 coming to an end, it is now time for teams to prepare for Season 8. In this blog, you will find all the necessary info, specifically:
FACEIT League remains the only official Overwatch competition where NA and EMEA amateur teams start their climb to the OWCS. The League provides an environment where teams can build a recognized competitive record while competing for a share of a $50,000 prize pool each season, supporting amateur team growth and the continuation of their competitive journey. Through playoffs broadcasts or with the support of community casters, FACEIT League provides the match coverage necessary for scouts and esports organizations to validate your performance. Let's now dive into Season 8 specifics.
The following timeline outlines the key milestones for Season 8 to ensure your team is prepared for the OWCS climb.
We are introducing a Last Chance Qualifier for FACEIT League Season 8, featuring up to 8 OWCS 2025 stage 3 teams who failed to qualify for 2026 Stage 1, bottom 7-14 bottom Season 7 Master teams, and the top 3-8 S7 Expert teams, all competing for 8 Master Division slots! In order to qualify a team will need to reach the top 8 of the LCQ, where you will join the top 8 Master Division teams from FACEIT League Season 7. Teams who fail to reach the top 8 in the LCQ will be moved to the Expert Division for Season 8. Learn more here.
To ensure high-skill rosters find their appropriate level from the start, we are hosting NA/EMEA Expert and Advanced Open Qualifiers on March 7th and 8th for teams aiming to bypass the Open Division tiers and enter the competition at a higher level by securing immediate placement based on their performance. In each region, the top 4 teams will secure an Expert slot, while teams ranked 5th to 16th will secure an Advanced slot.
FACEIT League Season 8 is deeply integrated into the global Overwatch esports ecosystem to provide teams with a clear route to the highest tiers of play. In the NA and EMEA regions, the Top 2 Master Division teams from Season 8 will earn the opportunity to advance to OWCS by competing in the Promotion/Relegation tournament scheduled for 30th May.
To ensure all teams compete under the same settings as OWCS, the Season 8 map pool is synchronized with the OWCS 2026 Stage 1 rotation. This selection will remain consistent from the regular season through the playoffs across all divisions and regions.
Following the recent announcement of five new heroes coming to Overwatch, the hero roster will also expand in the FACEIT League. Domina, Anran, Emre, Mizuki, and Jetpack Cat will be available starting in Season 8.
We maintain a strong presence in the community to ensure we continue improving the League experience. To share ideas or improvements directly with our team, we invite all players to join the FACEIT Overwatch Discord and utilize the #feedback-and-suggestions channel. We monitor these communications to ensure player feedback is considered and addressed as we continue to refine the experience. Thank you for reading. Registration for Season 8 concludes on March 11th. In the meantime, join us on February 8th to see who will be crowned the NA and EMEA champions during our live broadcast.
The FACEIT League Team
