Blizzard Entertainment, in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), announced the return of Overwatch Collegiate, with registration opening up today. Tournament operator LeagueSpot is also playing a part in organizing the competition.
The Overwatch Collegiate program will officially launch this fall in partnership with NACE, offering two semester seasons (Fall, Spring) of Overwatch 2 collegiate competition, a new Varsity division, and a live LAN finals event in the spring. The program will feature more than $140,000 USD in total scholarship prizing for the 2025 – 2026 season, according to the announcement.
The 2025 – 2026 season will consist of Open and Varsity. Open is available to all eligible institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and schools are allowed to field multiple teams if they choose, consisting of players in friend groups, clubs, etc.
Varsity will be available only to NACE Member Institutions and will have stricter eligibility requirements including a limit of one team per school, a dedicated on-campus esports facility, official oversight from the institution, and in-person play that encourages “institutional investment into building sustainable esports programs promoting the development of students into emerging professionals.” NACE Varsity begins with the Fall Homecoming Season in September and standard National Open play starts in October. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top teams from each division will play through a Fall Season Homecoming bracket, competing for a share of the total $42,000 scholarship prize pool.
Spring Championship details will be announced at a later date. After the Fall Homecoming Season concludes, registration will open for the Spring Championship. The Spring Championship will feature a LAN event finals and $100,000 USD in scholarship prizing.
Registration is open here and will close on Sept. 22. More details about Overwatch Collegiate can be found here.