The end of the Overwatch League’s first regular season is just five weeks away. Stage four of the Overwatch League kicks off this week on May 16.
Just one team has already secured a commanding lead in the Overwatch League rankings—New York Excelsior. But there are 11 more teams vying for a spot in the playoffs (some have very little or no chance) with room for movement in the rankings. New York Excelsior comes into stage four with a stunning 27 wins, following by Boston Uprising with 22 wins. London Spitfire’s got 20, while Seoul Dynasty holds steady at 19. Los Angeles Valiant and Philadelphia each have 18 wins, with Houston Outlaws and Los Angeles Gladiators at 16 wins a piece.
Related: The Overwatch League’s season one playoff schedule is out
Stage four begins on May 16 with Los Angeles Gladiators vs. San Francisco Shock at 6pm CT. Seoul Dynasty vs. Los Angeles Valiant starts at 8pm CT followed by Dallas Fuel vs. Shanghai Dragons at 10pm CT.
The remaining six teams will make their stage four debut on May 17. Boston Uprising vs. Philadelphia Fusion starts at 6pm CT, followed by New York Excelsior vs. Florida Mayhem at 8pm CT and Houston Outlaws vs. London Spitfire at 10pm CT.
There’s a lot of room to make up for the Overwatch League’s four worst-performing teams—San Francisco Shock, Dallas Fuel, Florida Mayhem, and the Shanghai Dragons. Each of these teams has a negative map win differential, which puts them in a tough spot regarding the Overwatch League playoffs. All but San Francisco Shock are totally out of the running.
Related: The Overwatch League grand finals will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Map score will continue to be important for much of the field, regardless of individual series wins. Only six teams can move on to the Overwatch League playoffs, and one slot is already secured. The top two teams from each division will get a first-round bye, and the next four teams in line will advance to the playoffs when they start on July 11. From there, two teams will be pulled into the grand finals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on July 27 and 28.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. There are still five weeks of play left, and it all starts again on May 16.
