OWL 2022 Countdown Cup - How To Watch, Schedule, Format, Teams, More

We are but a couple of days since the Overwatch League Countdown Cup first-week qualifiers and there is still much to play for in the coming weeks. Most teams have solidified their qualification, but seedings going into the tournament are still up for grabs.

There have already been unpredictable results and with the meta veering away from the Junker Queen goats style comp of the Summer Showdown (thanks to the most recent patch) to more comfort-based comps for each team a lot can happen in the next 3 weeks. 

Read further on where to watch the games, what the schedule is looking like, the format, teams competing, and more.

OWL Countdown Cup - How to Watch

The Overwatch League Countdown Cup qualifiers are all streamed on the Overwatch League YouTube channel. 

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While watching these games, should you want to earn Overwatch League Tokens, all you will need to do is link your Blizzard account to your Youtube account. These tokens can be used to acquire skins and potentially other cosmetics coming to Overwatch 2.

OWL Countdown Cup - Schedule and Format

The Countdown Cup qualifiers began on the 22nd of September 2022 and will run until the 16th of October 2022. Matches are played from Thursday to Sunday of each week. 

The Overwatch League has two separate region slots, the east, and the west.

East region matches begin at 10am GMT (12pm CEST | 6am EST | 7pm JST).

West matches region matches begin at 7pm GMT (9pm CEST | 2pm EST | 4am JST)

• Week One: 22nd to 25th September 2022 (Already played)

• Week Two: 30th September to 2nd October 2022

• Week Three: 6th to 9th October 2022

• Week Four: 13th to 16th October 2022

All teams play six games over the course of the four weeks. Teams are competing for positions in the Overwatch League playoffs and play-ins.

In the eastern region, the top three teams will go straight to playoffs, while the next three will be in play-ins and the last-placed team is knocked out.

In the western region, the top six teams go to playoffs, while the next four will be in play-ins and the bottom three teams are knocked out. All matches played are first to three wins, due to the chance to draw maps thus preventing bo5 from being viable.

Overwatch League Countdown Cup - All Teams Participating

There are 20 teams total in the Overwatch League; Seven in the east and 13 in the west. Nine teams will automatically qualify for the playoffs while seven teams will make it into play-ins to qualify for the playoffs. Each region has its play-ins, One eastern team and Two western teams qualify for playoffs giving a total of 12 teams. 

East Region 

• Chengdu Hunters 
• Guangzhou Charge 
• Hangzhou Spark 
• Los Angeles Valiant 
• Philadelphia Fusion
• Seoul Dynasty 
• Shanghai Dragons 

West Region 

• Atlanta Reign 
• Boston Uprising 
• Dallas Fuel 
• Florida Mayhem 
• Houston Outlaws
• London Spitfire
• Los Angeles Gladiators
• New York Excelsior
• Paris Eternal
• San Francisco Shock 
• Toronto Defiant 
• Vancouver Titans 
• Washington Justice

For more on the game, check our section dedicated to Overwatch 2 news, guides, and features.

Featured image courtesy of Overwatch League.