Overwatch League Playoffs Group 1 Ready for Action

The 2023 Overwatch League Season has had tons of twists and turns, and many believe it’s the last season before major changes are brought to the league. This is seemingly the end of the Overwatch League as we know it, and each team remaining will enter the playoffs with the extra motivation of going out on top. The eight playoff teams have been separated into two groups, out of which four teams, two from each group, will qualify for the Grand Finals. You don’t want to miss the battle for the title of Overwatch League Champions and the $1M prize that goes along with it. You can catch all of the action live on YouTube next week. 

Atlanta Reign

The Atlanta Reign qualified for the Overwatch League Playoffs via the Western Summer Stage Qualifiers, in which they finished at the top of the Western Standings with a very impressive 14-2 record. They started their 2023 out with a mediocre start at the OWL 2023 Pro-Am, finishing in 5th-8th. They then turned it on in the Spring Stage Qualifiers, going a perfect 8-0 and haven’t looked back. They won Midseason Madness, making a clean run through the Upper Bracket. They are a team that is poised to make a deep run in Playoffs and will be many people’s tournament favorites. 

Boston Uprising

The Boston Uprising is a team that has been trying to crack the Top 3 all year, somehow consistently finding themselves in 4th place. They got 5th in the Spring Stage Qualifiers, Midseason Madness, and the Summer Stage Qualifiers. In Summer, they were clearly a level above the other western play-in teams. They’ll have a good chance to make it out of groups as it is a favorable group with a favorable first match against the London Spitfire. However, if they’re able to make it out of Groups, the question will be if they’ll be able to get further than 4th. 

London Spitfire

London Spitfire may be the weakest team in the Overwatch League Playoffs. They’ve truly failed to find any success since the inaugural season of the Overwatch League, in which they were able to win the Championship. This year was no different as they finished 5th-8th in the Pro-Am before an 11th-place finish in the Spring Stage Qualifiers. They then went out and had yet another horrible showing in the Summer Stage Qualifiers, ending with a 7-9 record. They made an incredible run in the Lower Bracket of the Play-Ins after losing in the Upper Bracket Semifinals to the Boston Uprising. They would go on to take down the Washington Justice, Vancouver Titans, and Toronto Defiant on their way to securing the last Western spot in the Playoffs. 

Hangzhou Spark

The Hangzhou Spark had a great 2023 Competitive season in the Eastern side of the Overwatch League. They qualified for the Playoffs after finishing in 1st place in both the Spring and Summer Knockout Stages. They are easily the best team from the East and will surely give these Western teams a run for their money. Overwatch fans are in for a treat as the best Eastern team is set to go up against the best Western team in the Atlanta Reign to open up Group 1.