Blizzard Taiwan have announced the qualifiers for Season 2 of the Overwatch Pacific Championship, starting on the 20th of June. As playoffs draw ever closer for the inaugural season, professional teams will have the chance to earn one of two available spots in the next season of play. Boasting an impressive $272,000 prize pool in Season 1, the Pacific Championship has already established itself as one of the most prestigous events in the Asia-Pacific region.

Format

Eight teams will compete in the qualifiers, six being chosen by Blizzard from a pool of applicants and the last two sourced from the bottom two teams in Season 1. Teams will then be split into two groups and play in an online GSL series, with all matches played in a best of five maps format. The top two teams from each group at the end of the group stage will earn their spot in the offline playoffs.

These four teams will then travel to Blizzard's eStadium in Taipei, Taiwan to compete in the playoffs, on the 5th and 6th of July. The two grand finalists from a double elimination playoffs series will earn their spot in Season 2 of the Pacific Championship.

The struggling Japanese teams DeToNator.GOLD and SunSister, who currently occupy the bottom two spots in Season 1, are the most likely candidates for relegation. With talented teams springing up across the region and positions available in one of Overwatch's premier events, fierce competition is guaranteed in the upcoming qualifier.