All four winning teams swept their respective matches Sunday on the first day of the Overwatch League playoffs in Anaheim, Calif.
The London Spitfire, Hangzhou Spark, Florida Mayhem and Houston Outlaws posted victories to advance to the upper-bracket quarterfinals, which are scheduled for Monday.
The Spitfire defeated the Philadelphia Fusion, winning 2-0 on Lijiang Tower, 3-2 on Eichenwalde and 3-2 on Route 66. The match’s MVP was Hadi “Hadi” Bleinagel of Germany.
The Spark then blanked the Shanghai Dragons, with victories on Oasis (2-0), King’s Row (3-2) and Route 66 (4-3). MVP honors went to Xu “Guxue” Qiulin of China.
The Mayhem, led by MVP Isaiah “Hydron” Rodriguez of the United States, knocked off the Atlanta Reign 2-0 on Lijiang Tower, 3-2 on King’s Row and 4-3 on Junkertown.
In the last match of the day, the Outlaws defeated the Toronto Defiant with wins on Busan (2-0), Paraiso (5-4) and Dorado (3-2). The match MVP was Choi “MER1T” Tae-min of South Korea.
The Spark will next face the Dallas Fuel, the Mayhem will take on the Seoul Dynasty, the Outlaws will go up against the San Francisco Shock and the Spitfire will tangle with the Los Angeles Gladiators.
Sunday’s losers drop to the lower bracket in the double-elimination tournament and will await the losers of the upper-bracket quarterfinals.
This event marks the first in-person playoffs in three years, culminating with the grand final on Nov. 4. The grand prize is $1 million, while the runner-up team will earn $500,000.
Monday’s upper-bracket quarterfinal matches:
Hangzhou Spark vs. Dallas Fuel
Florida Mayhem vs. Seoul Dynasty
Houston Outlaws vs. San Francisco Shock
London Spitfire vs. Los Angeles Gladiators.
Overwatch League playoffs prize pool:
First place: $1 million, TBD
Second place: $500,000, TBD
Third place: $350,000, TBD
Fourth place: $250,000, TBD
Fifth-sixth place: $100,000, TBD
Seventh-eighth place: $55,000, TBD
Ninth-12th place: $35,000, TBD
–Field Level Media
