Blizzard will host an Overwatch 2 (opens in new tab) competition for the underrepresented gender beginning in late October.

Registration for the Overwatch 2 Challengers Cup (opens in new tab) is open to any underrepresented gender, as determined by Blizzard through its verification system. In a blog post (opens in new tab), Blizzard specifically notes that the tournament is open to "transgender, non-binary, gender fluid" and female participants, but not limited to.

To register, one must join the Discord server and complete a form to submit their name, Battle.net account, Discord account, social media links, and a photo of themselves." A person's appearance or gender expression is not contingent on their application, and this step is only to assign an individual to the application." The form states.

The Challengers Cup is not directly tied to the hierarchy of Blizzard's Path to Pro esports league, which is connected to the Overwatch League. However, Blizzard stated, "We hope this competition will serve as a gateway for players of underrepresented genders to jump into the broader 'Overwatch' esports ecosystem, and we encourage all eligible individuals to participate in both the Challengers Cup and Path to Pro, and we encourage everyone who qualifies to participate in both."

The Overwatch League currently has no players who profess to be of a marginalized gender. The first and only female player, Kim Se-young "Geguri," played for the Shanghai Dragons until her retirement in 2020.

The new tournament will be capped at 128 teams and will use a Swiss format (open in new tab). The first qualifying round will begin on October 21, the second on November 18, and the final on an undisclosed date in December.

Blizzard is partnering with Raidiant (opens in new tab), a production company and website focused on engaging and celebrating women in esports, to host the tournament. The blog post does not explicitly mention whether the tournament will be streamed, but as with all official tournaments, this seems likely.

Blizzard will also host a caster camp for lower social status groups to learn how to commentate Overwatch matches from Overwatch League casters Soe Gschwind and Matt "Mr. X" Morello. You can sign up for the caster camp before the start of November (opens in a new tab).