BlizzCon 2018 is just around the corner, and you can expect to see plenty of announcements from Blizzard on beloved titles such as Diablo III, World of Warcraft and Overwatch. Esports is a large part of the event, and there will be plenty to see during BlizzCon this year.
During opening week, viewers can catch the beginning portions of the StarCraft II, Heroes of the Storm, and World of Warcraft Finals for free. As the weekend of Blizzard’s annual event takes off, any additional live coverage will be locked behind a Virtual Ticket. If you’ve already prepared yourself to watch BlizzCon 2018, then you’ll want to know the dates and times of all the esports events they have planned, and we’ve assembled all that information for you below.
‘Overwatch’ World Cup
The Overwatch World Cup doesn’t pit established league teams against each other, but groups players by nationality in a similar manner to the FIFA World Cup. There are 24 nations represented in total, including Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Japan, the United States, and Canada. Following the opening group rounds, the top eight teams will then compete in a playoff to crown the winner.
November 2
- Quarterfinals – 3:15 p.m. ET to 11:15 p.m. ET
November 3
- Semifinals – 12:30 p.m. ET to 4:30 p.m. ET
- Bronze Medal Match – 4:30 p.m. ET to 6:30 p.m. ET
- Finals – 6:45 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. ET
‘Heroes of the Storm’ Global Championship Finals
The Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Finals see twelve professional teams facing off in Blizzard’s popular MOBA. These include heavy hitters like Team Liquid, Team Dignitas, and Tempest, who all will be vying for the available $1 million in prize money.
November 2
- Bracket Stage: Round of 8 – 3:00 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET
November 3
- Bracket Stage: Semifinals – 12:30 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET
- Bracket Stage: Finals – 7:00 p.m. ET to 10:15 p.m. ET
‘Hearthstone’ Global Games
Like the Overwatch event, the Hearthstone Global Games will see national teams competing in the mega-successful digital card game. Competitors from New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, and Spain will square off in a simple bracket-style elimination tournament to see who truly uses the “hearth of the cards.”
November 2
- Elimination Groups – 3:15 p.m. ET to 7:00 p.m. ET
- Winners Match – 7:00 p.m. ET to 8:45 p.m. ET
- Decider Groups — 8:45 p.m. ET to 12.15 a.m. ET
November 3
- Semifinals – 12:45 p.m. ET to 4:15 p.m. ET.
- Finals – 4:45 p.m. ET to 6:15 p.m. ET.
‘Starcraft II’ World Championship Series Global Finals
One of the most prestigious esports around, Starcraft II promises to deliver the goods with the World Championship Series Global Finals. The finals will feature 16 players – eight from the WCS Circuit and eight from Korea – as they compete for $500,000 in prizes. After the initial group stages, the top eight will face off in a playoff bracket to determine the champion.
November 2
- Quarterfinals – 3:30 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. ET
- Remastered Exhibition – 9:30 p.m. ET to 11:15 p.m. ET
November 3
- Semifinals – 5:00 p.m ET to 8:00 p.m. ET
- Finals – 8:30 p.m. ET to 11:00 p.m. ET
‘World of Warcraft’ Arena World Championship
The World of Warcraft Arena World Championship gives player-versus-player specialists a chance to shine. 16 teams will compete in best-of-five Arena matches before moving to a best-of-seven format for the grand finals. New maps introduced in Battle for Azeroth will be fair game, as well. There are now 10 different maps to choose from, so expect to see a surprise or two during this one.
November 2
- Lower round 1 – 3:15 p.m. ET to 7:15 p.m. ET
- Upper round 3 – 7: 15 p.m. ET to 9:15 p.m. ET
- Lower round 2 – 9:15 p.m ET to 11:15 p.m. ET
- Upper semifinals – 11:15 p.m. ET to 12:15 a.m. ET
November 3
- Lower round 3 – 5:15 p.m. ET to 7:15 p.m ET
- Lower semifinals – 7:15 p.m. ET to 8:15 p.m. ET
- Lower finals – 8:15 p.m. ET to 9:15 p.m. ET
- Finals – 9:15 p.m. ET to 10:45 p.m. ET
‘World of Warcraft’ Mythic Dungeon Invitational
The only player-versus-environment event at BlizzCon, the World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon Invitational has two five-person teams race to finish the game’s difficult Mythic Dungeons. It will be quicker than the other esports events, with just four teams competing. The top two move onto the finals for one last race.
November 3
- Match 1 – 12:30 p.m. ET to 2:00 p.m. ET
- Match 2 – 2:00 p.m. ET to 3:30 p.m. ET
- Finals – 3:30 p.m. ET to 5:00 p.m. ET.
