receiving network load information associated with a set of controllers within a Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN);

detecting a request to connect to a new controller, wherein the request is associated with an edge router within the SD-WAN, and wherein the request is detected as a result of Overlay Management Protocol (OMP) load shedding from a first controller of the set;

identifying, based on the network load information, one or more other controllers of the set capable of handling load requirements of the edge router;

determining a preferred controller group associated with the edge router, wherein the preferred controller group corresponds to a subset of controllers from the set;

selecting a second controller from the set based on the identified one or more other controllers and the preferred controller group; and

transmitting a request to the edge router to connect to the second controller.