Akin to a World Cup opening match between Brazil and France, the Overwatch League’s second season kicks off with a Championship rematch.
There you have it.
These are your #OWL2019 opening week matchups!
Which one are you the most hyped for!? pic.twitter.com/vPUOZOW9vn— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) December 6, 2018 No ad to show here.
London Spitfire and Philadelphia Fusion contested Season 1’s grand finale, in which the British team triumphed. On 14 December 2019, the teams will open the second season of the Overwatch League.
It’ll be quite the Valentine’s Day for both teams.
But forget the first match, the remaining three matches on the first day’s schedule is one for copious amounts of Mountain Dew and Doritos:
- Stage 3 champion Boston Uprising takes on highest-placed Season 1 team New York Excelsior.
- Highest placed team in Stage 4 LA Gladiators compete against everyone’s favourite underachiever Seoul Dynasty.
- Newcomer Hangzhou Spark goes up against 40-0 losers Shanghai Dragons.
This is how redemption arcs are forged, people.
In 2019, the League also welcomes eight new teams. Atlanta Reign, Paris Eternal, Toronto Defiant, and Washington Justice will join the Atlantic division, while Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, previously mentioned Hangzhou Spark, and Vancouver Titans join the Pacific.
All teams will play 28 matches each this season (down from 40), while the four-stage split will remain.
The first three stages will end with stage finals, which will see eight teams qualify. That’s the two winners in each division, along with the six best placed teams overall.
On Wednesday, the Overwatch League announced the entire string of its Season 2 fixtures, so check those out right here.
The season kicks off on 14 February 2019 — a little over two months away.
Feature image: Blizzard Entertainment
