The Overwatch League is the most important tournament of the year dedicated to the celebrated game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It brings together the best players in the world, as they compete for a prize pool of $4.25 million.
Overwatch League 2021 Teams
20 teams enter the race for the coveted trophy, which provides punters with multiple Overwatch League betting opportunities.
| Overwatch League Teams |
|---|
| Atlanta Reign |
| Buston Uprising |
| Chengdu Hunters |
| Dallas Fuel |
| Florida Mayhem |
| Guangzhou Charge |
| Hangzhou Spark |
| Houston Outlaws |
| London Spitfire |
| Los Angeles Gladiators |
| Los Angeles Valiant |
| New York Excelsior |
| Paris Eternal |
| Philadelphia Fusion |
| San Francisco Shock |
| Seoul Dynasty |
| Shanghai Dragons |
| Toronto Defiant |
| Vancouver Titans |
| Washington Justice |
Overwatch League Schedule and Format
The regular season of the Overwatch League starts in April and concludes at the end of August. During this phase of the competition, the participating teams are seeded based on the League Points in qualifying matches.
Each victory will bring one League Point and finishing on the podium will earn additional ones.
Matches are played in a best-of-five format, so punters can place multiple Overwatch bets on each competitor. The top three teams from the West and the best two from the East advanced to the playoffs.
Teams that don’t secure direct qualification to the playoffs will compete in the play-in stage. This is held in August and once again, the teams are split into two pools, corresponding to the East and West regions.
There are no hero pools during this phase of the tournament and the best two teams from West will join the best performing team from the East to the playoffs.
The playoffs are the decisive stage of the competition and the most anticipated one for Overwatch League fans. They span over the course of one month and consist of a double-elimination bracket, with eight teams involved.
Once again, there are no hero pools and winners are decided in the Grand Final that can require up to seven games. The team that wins four matches first claims the prize and the coveted trophy.
Overwatch League 2021 Prize Pool
Tournament
| Placement | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $100,000 |
| 2nd | $70,000 |
| 3rd | $35,000 |
| 4th | $20,000 |
Playoffs
| Placement | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,500,000 |
| 2nd | $700,000 |
| 3rd | $350,000 |
| 4th | $300,000 |
| 5th | $200,000 |
| 6th | $100,000 |
| 7th | $50,000 |
| 8th | $50,000 |
Overwatch League Past Winners
Savvy punters look at past results when preparing their Overwatch League betting strategy for the current season. The San Francisco Shock stands out from the crowd as the strongest contender after winning the 2019 and 2020 tournaments.
Some of the best Overwatch players in the world compete for this squad, with ChoiHyoBin, “Striker” Kwon Nam-joo and “Viol2t” Park Min-ki featuring on this elite list.
London Spitfire won the first Overwatch League and remain strong contenders for the seasons to come. Philadelphia Fusion, Vancouver Titans Seoul Dynasty were the runners-up in 2018, 2019, respectively 2020.
The Shanghai Dragons are yet to reach the final, but they consistently rank high in the power rankings.”Void” Kang Jun-woo and “Fleta” Kim Byung-sun are some of their top performing players.
Overwatch League Champions
| YEAR | TEAM |
|---|---|
| 2020 | San Francisco Shock |
| 2019 | San Francisco Shock |
| 2018 | London Spitfire |
Best sites for betting on Overwatch League
The Overwatch League is a tournament of exceptional magnitude and it enjoys the attention it deserves at online bookmakers. Traditional bookies, as well as esportsbooks provide ample coverage of the event.
GG.bet is the obvious choice for all types of esports, Overwatch included. It publishes the odds well in advance, which makes them an excellent bookmaker for those who want to bet on the outright winners.
Bet365 esports has long been the first choice for live betting and quickly added Overwatch to the list. Players from several US states that have legalized online betting can wager on the flagship event live.
Betway is a UK GC licensed and regulated bookie, offering stellar Overwatch League betting options. Competitive odds on live betting and ante-post markets make them easy to recommend to UK players.
Overwatch League Betting Options
There are multiple ways to enjoy betting on the Overwatch League, but these are the most popular options
- Moneyline wagers – bet on the winner of individual matches and the team to prevail in a series.
- Outright bets – wager on the winner of the tournament, before and after the event has started.
- Live betting – bet on the match-winner, as well as special markets after the team has started.
Overwatch League Betting Markets
The Overwatch League provides punters with multiple avenues towards winning bets. In addition to outright winner and money line wagers, punters can also try special bets. These are inspired by the mainstream markets and have the merit of making the game more exciting, while offering higher odds.
- Single bets – add a single selection on the betting slip and cash in if it wins, to mitigate the risks.
- Accumulator bets – add multiple events to have the odds multiplied together and win larger sums.
- In-game events – bet on teams and players to complete specific in-game objectives.
- First and total numbers of kills – bet on the first blood, or try the over/under kill totals.
- Spread betting – predict the winning margin to bet on underdogs and favorites to cover the spread.
Overwatch League Betting Tips
Given the magnitude of the tournament and the quality of the teams involved, there’s a lot of information to be found about the Overwatch League. Research goes a long way and punters who spend enough time analyzing the teams, players and trends can win big. These are some of the proven betting tips that can help players maximize their chances to win.
1. Play the game before betting – being a player has the advantage of better understanding the gameplay. It will help you place winning bets pregame, but this kind of knowledge is invaluable when betting live.
2. Specialize on a few teams – narrow down the scope of betting and focus on a handful of teams that you follow throughout the season. Keep track of player form and how they match against specific opponents.
3. Don’t bet on personal favorites – the Overwatch League is a major tournament involving the best teams in the world. Don’t place money on the team you support, but instead bet on the ones you expect to win.
Overwatch League Odds
The sheer size of the Overwatch League means that you can bet on this tournament at all the important bookmakers. Shop for the best Overwatch odds and keep track of their movement as soon as they are posted.
Plays ante-post wagers on favorites early and waits a bit longer when betting on the underdogs, as the odds are likely to rise.
The average return to player should exceed 90%, with the best bookies offering as much as 1.95 on coin flip matches. The odds are displayed in decimal, fractional and American formats
