The Guangzhou Charge stayed in the thick of the standings in East region qualifying matches for the Overwatch League’s Countdown Cup, defeating the Hangzhou Spark 3-0 on Saturday.
The Charge maintained their hold on second place with a 2-1 win on Busan-UAT, followed by a 3-2 victory on Eichenwalde and a 3-0 triumph on Junkertown.
In a mild upset, the Shanghai Dragons defeated the Los Angeles Valiant 3-0.
The Dragons opened with a 2-0 win on Busan-UAT, then followed with 2-1 victories on King’s Row and Dorado.
The Philadelphia Fusion moved into third place by defeating the Chengdu Hunters 3-1. The Fusion got off to a quick start with a 2-0 win on Ilios, but Chengdu tied the score at 1-1 with a 1-0 victory on Paraiso. Philadelphia closed the contest with 1-0 wins on Route 66 and New Queen Street.
The three teams in the East that finish the regular season with the most league points will qualify for the playoffs, while the top six finishers in the West will do the same.
The other berths in each playoff bracket will be determined through the play-ins taking place Oct. 14-15 in the East and Oct. 21-22 in the West as part of the Countdown Cup. Seeding for the Countdown Cup is based on results in the ongoing qualifying matches.
Two West playoff bids will be awarded via the Countdown Cup, while one East playoff bid will be at stake.
The double-elimination playoffs will begin Oct. 30. The playoff bracket will culminate in the first in-person Grand Finals in three years at the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center on Nov. 4. The grand prize is $1 million, while the runner-up team will earn $500,000.
Action continues Saturday with three matches in the West region:
–Atlanta Reign vs. Florida Mayhem
–Washington Justice vs. Los Angeles Gladiators
–Dallas Fuel vs. Houston Outlaws
Overwatch League — Countdown Cup standings, with points, match record and map differential (*clinched playoff berth)
West
1. *Dallas Fuel, 4 points, 4-0, +11
2. *Los Angeles Gladiators, 4 points, 4-0, +9
3. Atlanta Reign, 3 points, 3-1, +6
4. Boston Uprising, 2 points, 2-0, +5
T5. London Spitfire, 2 points, 2-2, -2
T5. Washington Justice, 2 points, 2-2, -2
7. Houston Outlaws, 1 point, 1-1, 0
8. Toronto Defiant, 1 point, 1-3, -2
9. *San Francisco Shock, 1 point, 1-3, -4
10. New York Excelsior, 1 point, 1-3, -5
11. Vancouver Titans, 1 point, 1-3, -6
T12. Paris Eternal, 0 points, 0-2, -5
T12. Florida Mayhem, 0 points, 0-2, -5
East
1. *Seoul Dynasty, 4 points, 4-1, +10
2. Guangzhou Charge, 4 points, 4-2, +3
3. Philadelphia Fusion, 3 points, 3-2, +4
4. Los Angeles Valiant, 3 points, 3-3, -5
T5. Chengdu Hunters, 2 points, 2-3, -2
T5. *Shanghai Dragons, 2 points, 2-3, -2
T6. Hangzhou Spark, 1 point, 1-5, -8
–Field Level Media