The 2023 Overwatch League playoffs were the postseason tournament of the 2023 Overwatch League regular season. The tournament began on September 28 and concluded with the 2023 Grand Finals, the sixth championship match of the Overwatch League (OWL), on October 1. Eight teams contested the OWL playoffs, beginning with two four-team double-elimination tournaments leading into a four-team single-elimination tournament. All playoff matches took place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Canada.
The defending OWL champions were the Dallas Fuel, who won the title against the San Francisco Shock in the 2022 OWL Grand Finals.[1]
Format
Eight teams qualified for the season playoffs. In the league's West region, five teams qualified: the top three teams based on the Western regular season standings and the top two teams from the Western play-in tournament. In the league's East region, three teams qualified: the top two teams based on the Eastern regular season standings and the top team from the Eastern play-in tournament.[2]
The playoffs were divided into two phases. It started with two four-team double-elimination tournaments. The top two teams from each group then moved on to a four-team single-elimination Grand Finals bracket, which culminated in the Grand Finals. The composition of the groups was determined through a draft process, during which top-seeded teams selected their opponents for the opposing bracket. Teams continued to select their opponents until all teams were accounted for.[3][4] Teams were seeded based on the order of these selections.[5] Except for the Grand Finals match, all other matches adhered to a best-of-five series format, while the finals were played as a best-of-seven series.[3]
Venue
All playoff matches were played at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Canada. The venue also hosted the OWL 2022 Summer Showdown. The location was chosen in conjunction with a deal made between the Overwatch League and the Toronto Defiant, wherein the Defiant had agreed to host the event. It was the first time that the Grand Finals were held outside of the United States.[6][7]
Teams in the season playoffs will compete for a total prize pool of US$1,855,000, with the payout division detailed below.[3]
Pos
Team
Bonus
1
Florida Mayhem
$1,000,000
2
Houston Outlaws
$400,000
3
Hangzhou Spark
$225,000
4
Boston Uprising
$130,000
5–6
Dallas Fuel
$50,000
London Spitfire
7–8
Atlanta Reign
–
Seoul Infernal
References
^Richardson, Liz (November 5, 2022). "Dallas Fuel wins 2022 Overwatch League Championship". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
^"2023 Playoffs". The Overwatch League. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
^ abcCzar, Michael (September 22, 2023). "Overwatch League 2023 Playoffs: Scores, schedules and standings". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
^Lyons, Ben (September 18, 2023). "The Overwatch League Postseason bracket is locked in". Gamereactor UK. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
^Heinisch, Sascha (September 25, 2023). "OWL Playoff seeding issues once again raise concerns among teams". GGRecon. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
^Czar, Michael (July 15, 2023). "Canada to host 2023 Overwatch League grand finals in first championship LAN outside US". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
^Walker, Patrick (July 17, 2023). "Overwatch League 2023 Grand Finals to take place in Toronto". Esports Insider. Retrieved September 23, 2023.