Sources: Toronto to be OWL expansion franchise

Toronto will be among the cities with an expansion Overwatch League franchise next season, according to sources close to the league. While the ownership of the new franchise is unknown, sources have said that Splyce will likely be brought on to manage the team, similar to the role Sentinels serve for the Los Angeles Gladiators.

Toronto will be the home of an expansion franchise next season, according to sources.

Since the end of the Overwatch League season, two expansion franchises, one in Atlanta and one in Guangzhou, have been confirmed by Blizzard. An additional expansion franchise, Paris, has been reported by ESPN. It is believed up to six expansion franchises will be added for the Overwatch League's second season, based on previous statements from the league.

An Overwatch League franchise in Toronto would be Canada's first. Toronto is the largest city in Canada and home to many major sports franchises already including ones in the NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and CFL.

This would not be the first time Splyce has been involved with Overwatch, should they come on to manage the Toronto franchise. The organization first entered Overwatch in the summer of 2016, when they picked up a roster that included clockwork and flame, among others. In May of 2017, the organization dropped their roster after talking with Blizzard about the Overwatch League. The team expressed interest at the time in re-entering the scene at a later date.

Neither Blizzard nor Splyce had responded to requests for comment at the time of publishing.

UPDATE: According to reports from ESPN and The Esports Observer, the Toronto spot was purchased for $35 million by a group led by Michael Kimel. Splyce will own a 10 percent share in the team.