The playoffs of the Overwatch League 2022 are just around the corner. Who has the best chance of winning the title? We reveal our favourites.
The Dallas Fuel, Seoul Dynasty, San Francisco Shock and Los Angeles Gladiators rosters are already qualified for the Upper Bracket quarterfinals based on their top ratings from the regular season. In the first round, London Spitfire face Philadelphia Fusion, Shanghai play Hangzhou Spark and Atlanta face Florida. In the final game of the first round, the Houston Outlaws play Toronto Defiant.
The scene is FINALLY set for the OWLGrandFinals 🎭
Behold the 2022 Playoffs Bracket and get ready for some intense matches ahead! pic.twitter.com/sPUeifv9St
– Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) October 23, 2022
Fuel and Gladiators with favourites
Kim “Doha” Dong-Ha and his teammates clinched their first title of the season back in the Summer Showdown. In the final they won clearly against San Francisco with 4-0. The meta has softened a bit in recent weeks. The pool of playable heroes is currently much wider than before. The Gladiators are also in an excellent position for the playoffs. Despite the departures of Patipahn “Patiphan” Chaiwong and Seonchang “ANS” Lee, the roster looks well prepared and attuned for the season finale after wins in the Kickoff Clash and Midseason Madness tournament.
3 days remain until the OWL2022 Playoffs ⏱️
Today, we highlight our star-caliber rookie: Reiner. His confident gameplay and personality have been an essential part of our success this season! pic.twitter.com/S6fXEpNahX
– Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) October 27, 2022
San Francisco Shock has also returned to winning ways of late. However, it has not yet been enough for a trophy – in all play-offs they failed at the latest in the final.
What can the East Teams do?
After the last clash between the two regions in the Midseason Madness tournament in Hawaii, the playoffs are a league-wide showdown again after a long time. In the East Region, Seoul Dynasty is at the top of the standings at the end of the regular matches. In the Summer Showdown, they were beaten 2-4 by the Shanghai Dragons in the final in September. It remains to be seen how strong the teams from the Asian region can present themselves against the teams from America. At the tournament in Hawaii, Philadelphia Fusion – the best team from the minor league – finished in fourth place.
Underdog London Spitfire
After a long absence in the Overwatch League finals, London Spitfire is finally back. The player line-up around the two German players Daniel “Hadi” Bleinagel and Emir “Kaan” Okumus qualified for the spectacle in the Anaheim Convention Center via a shared fifth place with Atlanta Reign.
See you soon @Fusion 👋 pic.twitter.com/3TRHtMTepH
– London Spitfire (@Spitfire) October 22, 2022
Having visibly grown together over the season, Hadi’s side continued to impress in the final weeks of the Countdown Cup Qualifier. The underdog team from the Cloud9 organisation could cause a few surprises in the last event of the 2022 season.
