April 17, 2026
Calling All Heroes (CAH) is a joint program of Overwatch and the Overwatch League. Calling All Heroes’ mission is to build an inclusive game and competitive environment for everyone. They pursue this goal by focusing on equity, visibility, and community support for underrepresented genders, as outlined in their mission statement. This initiative started back in 2022 and has continued to blossom since.
In the beginning
Calling All Heroes started with two events, the Challengers Cup and the Casters Camp. These events not only focused on the player aspects of esports but also on people interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects, such as casting. Casters and on-air talent are an integral part of the Overwatch Competitive scene. Calling All Heroes hosted a dedicated camp to help train and provide opportunities for the next generation of talent.
The Challengers Cup was set up with the goal of serving as an entry point for underrepresented genders. It wanted to help them by allowing them to jump into the Overwatch esports ecosystem. It did this by creating more opportunities and visibility through additional competition in a safe space community. They partnered with Raidiant due to their experience and dedication to building compelling and inclusive gaming and esports communities.
Building on the foundation
Calling All Heroes returned in the 2023 – 2024 year! Off the heels of their successful 2022 launch, the series returned with more ambitious goals. The series wanted to welcome more heroes with more opportunities to participate than before. To accomplish this, they partnered with third-party tournament organizers across the esports space to create recurring opportunities with new and expanded offerings: The Challengers Series circuit and the Sperer Series.
The Challengers Series replaced the Challengers Cup and provided ongoing opportunities for members of the Calling All Heroes community to showcase and grow their skills. The Challengers Series functioned as a year-long competitive circuit featuring recurring qualifier events. The top teams at the end of the circuit qualified for a Championship event hosted by Blizzard.
The Speaker Series saw the return of Caster Camp with the expansion of its offerings to other gaming disciplines such as game observing, event organization, going pro, content creation, and more!
Next steps
In 2024 – 2025, Calling All Heroes returned with a continued focus on building an inclusive environment for everyone, emphasizing equity, visibility, and community support for marginalized genders. The Challenger series consisted of three Major events hosted by Raidiant, and three Minor events hosted by approved third-party organizers. At the end of the year, top circuit point-earning teams were invited to compete in the Calling All Heroes Championship.
Calling All Heroes also began its Rising Series that year. This series gave Diamond-ranked players or below the opportunity to compete in a first-to-three tournament-style matches with a double-elimination bracket playoff.
Modern changes
After another successful year, Calling All Heroes returned in 2025, focusing on making CAH events accessible to more players and streamlining Championship qualification. In 2025, the tournament’s overall design shifted. Minor events were replaced with preseason and midseason tournaments called Raidiant CAH Academy. Raidiant CAH Academy 101 for the preseason and Radiant CAH Academy 102 for the midseason. They were to be seeded single-elimination bracket events that serve as lower-stakes entry points for players who want to give CAH a shot but aren’t ready for larger commitment events.
CAH would see changes in other aspects as well. Major events were condensed into two stages – spring and summer. Circuit points were discontinued in favor of teams having three clear opportunities to qualify for the 2025 CAH Championship. They also included a Verification Grace Period, Hero Bans, roster updates, and new prizes.
Looking towards the future
In 2026, Calling All Heroes returns once again! The road to the 2026 Championship starts this summer! This time around, the 2026 CAH Raidiant Series season is designed to be easier to join by introducing simplified eligibility verification, flexible scheduling for matches, and a clearer path from Regular Season play to the Championship.
Their goal in 2026 is to lower barriers to participation and give players the flexibility to compete in other major competitive events, such as Overwatch Collegiate, World Cup, FACEIT, and OWCS.
Registration for the 2026 Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series Regular Season started April 7th, 2026, and ends Monday, July 6th, 2026. Regular Season kicks off July 11th – 25th, sos6. Season Playoffs are from August 8th to August 9th. Calling All Heroes Raidiant Series 2026 Championship is from August 29th – 30th and September 5th – 6th. A shorter season means more impactful matches and more time for scrims.
Calling All Heroes continues to grow, and I’m sure we’re in for one exciting Season! If you want to learn more about how you can register or get involved, head on over to Overwatch Esports for more info.
