Friday, Sept. 11 to Sunday, Sept. 13, the 2020 Overwatch League (OWL) held the second and final week of its playoffs. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the schedule for this year’s OWL experienced quite a few delays and setbacks, but now the organization is on track to wrap up its season with the Grand Finals Weekend: Thursday, Oct. 8 until Saturday, Oct. 10. This past weekend’s matches covered round three of the playoffs and decided the four teams who will be going to the Grand Finals: San Francisco Shock and Philadelphia Fusion from the North American bracket, and Shanghai Dragons and Seoul Dynasty from the Asian bracket. Let’s take a quick look at how these four teams clinched their spots for the 2020 OWL Championships.
Starting with the North American bracket, both San Francisco Shock and Philadelphia Fusion began playing in round three. Each team won their first two match-ups against other teams, and then faced each other in the final match-up of the regular bracket. Philadelphia Fusion lost 3-1 and were sent to the loser’s bracket, whereas San Francisco Shock confirmed their advancement into the Grand Finals with this victory. The winner of the loser’s bracket would take the second spot into the Grand Finals, and team Washington Justice had won three rounds of the loser’s bracket already before Philadelphia Fusion’s loss against San Francisco Shock. Philadelphia Fusion swept the match-up in a 3-0 victory, allowing them to take the second North American slot alongside San Francisco Shock.
In the Asian bracket, Seoul Dynasty began playing in round two of the playoffs, seizing a 3-0 victory that allowed them to advance into round three for last weekend. Seoul Dynasty and Shanghai Dragons won their first match-ups, then had to play each other in the final match of the regular bracket. Shanghai Dragons won in a close 3-2 victory, earning them the spot in the Grand Finals. Seoul Dynasty then won the loser’s bracket in a 3-0 win against New York Excelsior, giving them the second spot.
Each bracket’s qualifiers represent the best two teams of that division, with Philadelphia Fusion’s and Seoul Dynasty’s only losses being against the other qualifying team. This makes for an interesting setup for the Grand Finals. After a few weeks off from competitive play to allow for travel arrangements and health screenings, the North American qualifiers will fly to Asia for the Championships.
Seoul Dynasty will face off against San Francisco Shock and Philadelphia Fusion will take on Shanghai Dragons in the first round of the Grand Finals. Much like round three of the playoffs, the Grand Finals will have a loser’s bracket, allowing for a second chance at the grand prize of $1.5 million. San Francisco Shock were the 2019 OWL Champions, so a back-to-back victory might be in the cards for this year’s OWL season.
The OWL Grand Finals Weekend matches will be broadcast on the OWL YouTube channel as the franchise and YouTube are exclusive partners starting with the 2020 season. The first match, Seoul Dynasty vs. San Francisco Shock, will air at 7 a.m. EST Thursday, Oct. 8. More information, as well as a complete schedule and timetable, can be found on overwatchleague.com.
