Overwatch

Full details released for 2021 Overwatch League playoffs

The league will move to a Hawaii-based model

08/26/2021

Provided by Overwatch League The league has not been able to hold live playoffs since 2019.

Yesterday, the Overwatch League announced that the previously planned live playoffs in Dallas and Los Angeles would not go ahead due to health and safety concerns. Instead, the postseason will shift to a Hawaii-based model, similar to the format the league has used for tournament finals all year.

As a result, the North American playoff teams will travel to Hawaii in order to compete with the Asia-based teams on reasonably similar ping. There have been no updates on scheduling or logistics concerning travel to Hawaii, but the league said that “more information, including new dates, [would] be shared later.” This indicates the possibility of scheduling changes based on the new arrangement.

The previously announced tournament format will remain unchanged. Five teams have automatically qualified for playoffs, while the remaining nine will compete in a regional play-in tournament to determine the final three playoff teams. The league has released some new details about the postseason as well, including the map pool and overall seeding. Here’s how everything will go down.

Determining playoff teams

Five teams have already qualified for playoffs. They are the Shanghai Dragons, Chengdu Hunters, Dallas Fuel, Los Angeles Gladiators and Atlanta Reign. The remaining teams will compete in a single-elimination play-in tournament. The matchups for the play-in tournament are:

Match 1: Washington Justice vs. Paris Eternal
Match 2: Toronto Defiant vs. Boston Uprising

Match 3: Hangzhou Spark vs. Philadelphia Fusion
Match 4: Seoul Dynasty vs. Winner of Match 3

Match 5: San Francisco Shock vs. Selection from winners of Matches 1 and 2
Match 6: Houston Outlaws vs. Remaining team

The winners of Matches 4, 5 and 6 will qualify to playoffs.

Overall seeding

The overall seeding for the playoff teams will be determined by the number of League Points they have accrued this season. Teams earned League Points by winning regular season matches, with bonuses given to teams who performed well during tournament playoffs. The overall seeding for teams who have currently qualified for playoffs is: