With the Overwatch League set to receive six new teams for season two, a recent report claims that a franchise in Toronto will be the second and final North American expansion team to join the league, according to SportsBusiness Daily.
A Toronto Overwatch League franchise is reportedly in negotiation and a deal will be finished “within days,” SportsBusiness Daily claims in its article. The deal is reportedly set between Delaware North’s esports organization Splyce and Pittsburgh Penguins investor Michael Kimel. Under the reported deal, Splyce would own a 10-percent stake in the Toronto franchise, and the deal would be signed at $35 million for the team’s addition to the league. A name for the team has not yet been revealed.
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Toronto’s supposed addition to the Overwatch League would make it the second and last North American team to join Blizzard’s esports league next season, and it would be the first team from Splyce to enter as well. Atlanta was confirmed to join the league’s second season by Overwatch League’s front office earlier this month, alongside the Chinese city Guangzhou. ESPN also claims that Paris is set to receive its own team, although that has not yet been confirmed by Blizzard.
With six expansion teams expected to be introduced for the Overwatch League’s second season, there’s still two slots open to speculation from fans and analysts alike. Fans may know all six teams’ locations and names soon enough, too. Starting Sept. 9, season two expansion teams will be allowed to sign free agents until Oct. 7, after which inaugural season teams will be able to sign free agents starting on Oct. 8, Overwatch Wire reports.
Either way, fans will know for certain by the year’s end as 2019 introduces the second Overwatch League season.
