The Overwatch League has released rules on roster construction for the 2020 season including offseason deadlines, rules for academy teams and rules on two-way players.

The signing window for teams to exercise team options on their players' contracts, negotiate contract extensions or sign players from their academy team opens September 30. Teams can begin submitting free agent player contracts and player trades to the League Office for approval on October 7. The 2019 season comes to an end on November 11 and all players not under contract for the 2020 season will become free agents at that point. All teams must have at least eight players under contract by November 15. Teams may sign or trade players until June 15, 2020.

June 15 will also be the cut-off point for player eligibility. Only players born on or before June 15, 2002 will be eligible to sign contracts for the 2020 season of the Overwatch League.

Many of the rules regarding Contenders rosters and their relationship to the Overwatch League remain unchanged. However, there are a few key differences.

An academy team must compete in the same geographic region as their parent team in the 2020 season or else they will lose their academy team designation (they must also have "meaningful local infrastructure in place to be eligible for this). Losing their academy team benefits means they will not be able to exercise their right to match player contract offers. The Overwatch League offered the potential for academy teams outside of their parent region to be grandfathered in as academy teams for a limited period of time, meaning Fusion University may continue to compete in Contenders Korea as an academy team for a limited period of time.

Academy teams may use up to four two-way players in any given match during 2020, up from the two allowed in the 2019 season. Two-way players will lose their Contenders eligibility for a 60-day period if they appear in more than two Overwatch League matches within a 30-day period. This period begins or resets whenever a player enters their third Overwatch League match within a 30-day period.

If a two-way player competes in more than 50% of their team's total maps played in the 2020 Overwatch League season they will be ineligible to compete in Contenders during the offseason. Two -way players may compete in Contenders prior to the start of the 2020 Overwatch League season if they are Overwatch League rookies or if they competed in fewer than two Overwatch League matches in Stage 4 of 2019.

All other rules regarding two-way players, Overwatch League rosters and Contenders rosters remain the same for the time being.