The 2021 Overwatch League playoffs begin today and fans around the world are gearing up to root for their favorite teams.
Playoff games start today and eight teams will compete for a chance to play in the grand finals. One team will walk away with the championship trophy and the title of 2021 Overwatch League champions.
Matches begin today and continue until the grand final on Sept. 25. The competition is a double-elimination bracket that will allow teams to fight their way back to the top if they were unlucky in their first matchup.
The teams competing include the San Francisco Shock, Shanghai Dragons, Philadelphia Fusion, Los Angeles Gladiators, Washington Justice, Dallas Fuel, Atlanta Reign, and Chengdu Hunters.
How to watch the OWL playoffs and grand finals
The Overwatch League playoffs and grand finals will be broadcast on OWL’s YouTube Gaming channel, the OWL website, and the official app. If fans link their YouTube or OWL app accounts to their Blizzard accounts, they can earn rewards for watching a certain number of hours.
For every three hours watched during the OWL playoffs, viewers will receive a set of OWL-themed skins. For the first three hours, fans will receive Reinhardt, Soldier: 76, and Torbjörn cosmetics. For six hours watched, Junkrat Roadhog, and Sombra skins will be awarded. And for nine hours, fans will get Doomfits, Hanzo, and McCree items.
During the grand finals, there are more skins to be earned, including a grand finals spray for watching at least 30 minutes. After an hour watched, fans will receive Orisa, Pharah, and Symmetra cosmetics, and two hours will award Genji, Moira, and Reaper skins, as well as 100 OWL tokens.
In addition to all of the watch rewards, fans will get an update on Overwatch 2 and will see an exhibition match played by the eliminated members of teams in Hawaii. Fans can also grab the previous years’ All-Stars skins for a limited time during the playoffs.
