Overwatch World Cup Betting Preview
With BlizzCon comes many events but none more exciting than the Overwatch World Cup.
This year, ten teams will participate in the Main Event portion of the tournament, through November 1-2, at the Anaheim Convention Center. On the line are world champion bragging rights and a to-be-determined prize pool.
[The odds will be published shortly]
South Korea Vs. China Overwatch World Cup Match-up
| South Korea | vs. | China |
|---|---|---|
| 1.12 | To win first match | 1.28 |
| 100% | OWL players | 83% |
| Champions | 2018 Result | Runners-up |
| 1 | World Rank | 3 |
| South Korea Vs. China Overwatch World Cup At MyBookie.ag | ||
The 2019 iteration of the Overwatch World Cup is the fourth in the game’s history and has only been won by three-time champion South Korea. The South Koreans have toppled Russia (2016), Canada (2017), and China (2018) in the previous three Grand Finals.
Participating Teams Of The Overwatch World Cup
This year, the top five teams in the world rankings earned byes to the Main Event: a five-team group stage that leads into a single-elimination Playoff. Those five nations–South Korea, Canada, France, China, and the United States–are joined by the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, and the Netherlands, the five teams that survived the 42-team Preliminary Round held on October 31.
Overwatch World Cup Group Stage
In Group A are defending champs South Korea, France, and the United States.
The trio is joined by the United Kingdom and Sweden, who qualified out of the Preliminary Round.
The team that finishes first in the round-robin Group Stage advances to the Semifinals of the Playoffs while the second- and third-place teams advance to the Quarterfinals.
GROUP A
South Korea will undoubtedly top Group A, and France should finish in second, but third place is up for grabs.
The Americans are world-ranked fifth and earned an automatic bid to Main Event, but look for the sixth-ranked UK to give the hosts a run for their money.
In the end, the San Francisco Shock trio of Sinatraa, Super, and Moth, fresh off an Overwatch League title, will be the difference and lift the Americans to a Playoff berth.
GROUP B
Heavyweights Canada and China headline Group B and will battle it out for a shot at as Semifinal bye.
China, last year’s runner-up, was swept by South Korea in the Grand Final a year ago and welcome a contingent of seven players from the Chengdu Hunters, including JinMu and LateYoung.
The Canadians took third in 2018 and second in 2017 and again looked toward a veteran group that includes Agilities, Surefour, and xQc.
China features a deeper squad than Canada and will win the group, but the Canadians will place second and face the United States in the Quarterfinals.
Look for Russia, the ninth-ranked team in the world, to emerge in third place over Russia and the Netherlands.
Overwatch World Cup Playoffs
The US, which has failed to finish in the top four in each of the past three World Cup tournaments, is fielding its best roster to date.
They’re only one of two teams at the World Cup, along with South Korea, that features a roster comprised solely of players that participated in the Overwatch League in 2019, and they have enough to reach the Semifinals.
Unfortunately for them, they’ll run into the unanimous world number one in South Korea, ending their run just short of a Grand Finals appearance.
UK VS. RUSSIA?
A UK vs. Russia Semifinal, a battle of the sixth- and ninth-ranked teams in the world, respectively, would be sure to produce a victory for the Brits.
The UK is returning virtually the same roster that produced a fourth-place finish in 2018, and their hopes are high heading into this year’s tournament.
The UK will lean heavily on tanks Fusions, and Smex, the former of which starred for the Boston Uprising of OWL in 2019, but will struggle to overcome a deeper China side in the Semifinals.
Overwatch World Cup Grand Final
The truth of international Overwatch is that South Korea is so far ahead of the other nations that it’s mostly a foregone conclusion that they will win the World Cup annually. The outcome in 2019 will be the same, but don’t expect China to lie down too comfortably.
KOREAN TEAM
The Koreans raise the bar every year, and that only makes other nations strive to be better. While the Chinese are formidable, they’re not in a position to break through and take down the Koreans.
In fact, if it weren’t for the nature of the bracket, we would expect the Americans to meet the Koreans in the Grand Final, not the Chinese.
Nevertheless, the South Koreans are littered with top-end talent that plies their trade at some of the best OWL teams on the planet. Architect and ChoiHyoBin, along with coach Crusty, is just one month removed from an OWL championship.
The trio is joined by Haksal–OWL Rookie of the Year–and Jjanu of the Vancouver Giants and NYXL’s Mano, solidifying the deepest team in the tournament.
They’ve got top-end talent, but they’re also experienced and boast the highest overall strength from top to bottom.
CHINESE TEAM
The Chinese will turn to Guxue, the Tank who burst onto the OWL scene at the 2018 World Cup.
His performances in China’s run to the 2018 Grand Final led to his joining the Hangzhou Spark of the Overwatch League.
Though the Spark were generally underwhelming in 2019, Guxue was a finalist for OWL MVP and arrives in Anaheim as one of the best players in the world.
The problem for Guxue is his side doesn’t have the depth to keep pace with the Koreans.
Last season, South Korea secured a 4-0 victory over the Chinese in the Grand Final, and in 2019, the result will be the same.
The talent gap between South Korea and the rest of the world is narrowing, but this isn’t the year and China isn’t the team to take them down.
Bet On The Overwatch World Cup At Bovada
About the Author
Ryan Knuppel
Sports Betting and Gambling Writer
Ryan is a sports and iGaming expert bitten by the entrepreneurship bug. Founder of a couple of sports media companies and betting advocate.
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