CALLING ALL HEROES RETURNS IN 2026Introduction
Calling All Heroes is back and the road to the 2026 Championship starts this summer!
The 2026 CAH Raidiant Series season is designed to be easier to join, follow and plan around with weekend match days, a new simplified eligibility verification process and a clear path from Regular Season play to the Championship.
2026 is all about lowering barriers to participation and giving players the flexibility to compete in other major competitive events such as Overwatch Collegiate, World Cup, FACEIT and OWCS.
With a $40,000 USD total prize pool, the 2026 season features meaningful competitive stakes while prioritizing accessibility, clarity and long-term player development and engagement.
Here’s what to expect.
A Simpler, More Approachable Competitive Season
The 2026 CAH Raidiant Series Season was designed with approachability and clarity as core priorities.
Competition returns to weekend match days, making it easier for players to participate without year-long weekday commitments. The overall structure has also been condensed, creating a clearer start, middle and end to the season - making progression from entry to Championship contention easier to follow and practice for.
A shorter season means more impactful matches and more time for scrims, and participation in other major Overwatch esports events!
Scheduling Flexibility
Teams can reschedule Regular Season matches if weekend match days do not work for their schedule. This helps teams manage schedule conflicts and stay competitive throughout the season.
Eligibility Verification Changes
Eligibility Verification has been simplified for 2026. Players will now complete verification through Raidiant. Returning players will not be required to reverify each year if their personal information has not changed. This reduces administrative steps and makes it easier to return each season.
A Focused and More Equitable Prizing Structure
For 2026, the prize pool distribution has been intentionally adjusted to better support developing teams and emerging talent.
Compared to last season, a larger portion of prizing has been allocated to lower-placing teams, ensuring that more rosters receive meaningful rewards for their participation and performance. This encourages organizations to invest in new players and develop new talent!
By narrowing the gap between placements, the 2026 prizing structure supports long-term roster growth while maintaining clear competitive stakes at the top.
New Participation and Viewership Rewards
The 2026 program will also include new and returning viewership rewards, providing meaningful incentives for players to compete and fans to tune in.
Specific reward details including how to earn them will be shared at a later date, but be on the lookout for new rewards including Esports Loot Boxes and other in-game goodies.
Excited to learn more? Let’s take a look at the 2026 season format and schedule.
Regular Season
Season play kicks off this summer with open registration up to a maximum of 64 Teams. Participating Teams will play Swiss-System Format for 6 rounds, with teams progressively assigned matchups based on previous round results. The regular season will be played over the course of 3 weeks and starts in July. At the end of the Regular season, the Top 8 Regular Season Teams will advance to the Season Playoffs.
Season Playoffs
The Top 8 Teams from the Regular season will compete for preferential Championship seeding and additional prizing incentives. Participating Teams are seeded into an 8 team single elimination bracket based on their Regular Season Performance where they’ll play a single round. The remaining 4 teams will then play double elimination to determine Season Playoff results and final Championship seeding.
The top four playoff teams earn the top four Championship seeds. The remaining teams fill the final seeds based on Regular Season and playoff performance.
Additionally, 1st and 2nd place Season Playoff Placements earn teams some extra prizing.
This structure places immediate importance on early matches, encouraging developing teams to take risks at potential upsets while rewarding teams that advance deeper into the Season Playoffs bracket with strong positioning going into the 2026 Championship.
Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series 2026 Championship
After the Season Playoffs conclude and seeding has been determined, all eight teams will advance to the Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series 2026 Championship. Teams will play in a Double Elimination Bracket over two weekends after which the 2026 Championship title will be crowned!
Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series 2026 Summary Details
Excited to get Started? Registration for the 2026 Regular season opens today and closes Monday, July 6. You can register right now by clicking the links below.
Registration
Starts Tuesday, April 7, 2026 and ends Monday, July 6, 2026
Sign up here to register for the 2026 Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series Regular Season
To participate in the tournament, all players must have completed CAH Eligibility verification. Players can learn more about how to check their status or start a new Eligibility Verification in the Calling All Heroes Discord Server here.
Competition
Regular Season is July 11th - 25th, 2026
Season Playoffs is August 8th - 9th, 2026
Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series 2026 Championship is August 29th - 30th & September 5th - 6th, 2026
Format
Three-Phase tournament
Phase 1: Open Swiss, 6 rounds of Swiss Play over 3 weeks
Weekly default match day: Saturday
Phase 2: Season Playoffs, 8 team Single Elimination bracket into 4 team Double Elimination bracket over 1 weekend.
Phase 3: Championship Bracket, 8 team Double Elimination bracket over 2 weekends.
Prizing
$40,000 USD Prize Pool
To stay updated on all things Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series, follow us on social media:
Watch all the epic matches by staying tuned to our channels:
Have additional questions? Join the Calling All Heroes Discord:
With Gratitude
We want to thank the players, teams and fans who continue to compete, follow and support Calling All Heroes year after year.
We’re excited to see how this season unfolds and to watch teams navigate the path from Regular Season Play all the way to the 2026 Championship Grand Finals.
Stay tuned to Overwatch Esports channels for additional details including broadcast viewing information, rewards and competition updates which will be shared as the season approaches.
The road to the 2026 Championship begins this July, we’ll see you there.
