OWCS 2025 EMEA Stage 3 preview
Stage 2 Review
A regular season that was dominated by the region's strongest Symmetra teams, Al Qadsiah and Twisted Minds. They took their style of Overwatch to the global stage in Riyadh for the Midseason Championship, achieving the best results the EMEA region has seen since the inception of OWCS.
The strength of Symmetra forced Virtus.Pro into the third-place spot. The signing of Kevin "kevster" Persson, marked the largest transfer of the offseason. A move intended to help Virtus.Pro reclaim their Stage 1 crown.
With significant patch and perk changes, alongside the introduction of Wuyang, a similar meta seems unlikely. Raising hope for the retooled rosters of Gen.G, Team Vision, and Team Peps that, between the new patch and roster moves they have made, they can overtake EMEA's big 3.
Alongside Team Vision, Goud Guy ANM and Quick Esports were also promoted from FACEIT Masters Season 5. This additional promotion spot for Quick Esports resulted from The Ultimates' inability to field a roster for Stage 3 and their subsequent removal.
Stage 3 Format
The format remains unchanged from Stage 2, with all 8 teams participating in a Round Robin over the course of six weeks starting 6th September. The 4 highest teams will go directly through to the Upper Brackets of Playoffs, and the 5th/6th place teams will start in the Lower Bracket. The remaining 7th and 8th place teams will be eliminated.
The first-seeded team going into the playoffs will be allowed to select their first-round opponent from the 3rd and 4th place teams. Playoffs begin on the 18th October.
The top 3 teams from playoffs will secure qualification to the World Finals at Dreamhack Stockholm, 26th-30th November.
Stage 2 First Place: Al Qadsiah
- Abdulelah “LBBD7” Alfaifi (DPS)
- Baek “Checkmate” Seung-Hun (DPS)
- Oleksandr “Chase” Okseschenko (Tank)
- Ziyad “ZIYAD” Alkathiri (Tank)
- Kristian “Kellex” Keller (Support)
- Landon “Landon” McGee (Support)
- Choi “Junkbuck” Jae-won (Coach)
Fresh off a second-place finish in the OWCS 2025 Midseason Championship at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, expectations are high for the reigning champions of EMEA going into Stage 3. Former The Ultimates tank Oleksandr “Chase” Okseschenko has been added to the roster. A player with a lot to prove after a difficult Stage 1 and subsequent break in Stage 2. Al Qadsiah have shown regional dominance on both D.Va and Ramattra with Ziyad “ZIYAD” Alkathiri at the helm. The signing of Chase opens the door to developing dive-focused compositions, leaning into Chase’s more proven heroes.
With minimal roster changes and an established core, it is clear that Al Qadsiah will be aiming for another regional championship in EMEA. Going forward, it will be interesting to see if the addition of Chase will help increase the gap between Al Qadsiah and the rest of EMEA by adding more options to their firepower, or if they will be made more vulnerable in the ban phase when swapping between ZIYAD and Chase.
Stage 2 Second Place: Twisted Minds
- Alhumaidi “KSAA” Alruwaili (Tank)
- Abdualziz “TVNT” Altmimi (Substitute Tank)
- Ibrahem “Quartz” Alali (DPS)
- Ahmad “Youbi” Alyoubi (DPS)
- Maximillian “Seicoe” Otter (Substitute DPS)
- Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway (Support)
- Kim “Simple” Ji-sung (Support)
Twisted Minds had one of the highlight performances at the OWCS Midseason Championship. They defeated both the first and second seeds from Korea, a feat that hasn’t been achieved by a Western team in the OWCS era, and took eventual finalists Al Qadsiah to a nail-biting map 6. Their mastery of the Symmetra-focused compositions that dominated Stage 2 was evident in the regular season, finishing a strong second place behind Al Qadsiah, and establishing a sizable gap between the top two teams in EMEA and the rest of the pack.
They will be looking to continue this momentum into Stage 3, and finally wrench the #1 spot in EMEA from Al Qadsiah. They remain unchanged from the roster that tore up the Midseason Championship. Their experience together helped them reach incredible levels of coordination and execution on the Symmetra compositions, allowing us to see the best of Quartz, who had a standout performance at the Midseason Championship, and Youbi, who is both an exceptional Symmetra player and leader.
The addition of Simple to the Twisted Minds backline was a catalyst for improvement for the team - they were able to turn around a disappointing Stage 1, in which they finished 4th. In Stage 2, they took the runner-up spot, finishing ahead of both Virtus.Pro and The Ultimates, but losing to Al Qadsiah in the playoff finals.
Simple and FunnyAstro have proven to be one of the most reliable backlines in the region, and Twisted Minds also boasts two strong, battle-tested tank players in KSAA and TVNT. This roster is unchanged, but extremely solid and balanced.
This core will be expected to qualify for the World Finals in Stockholm following their performance at the Midseason Championships. Though repeatedly falling short of their rivals, Al Qadsiah, means they have to conquer their old foe to take the crown in EMEA. Twisted Minds comes in as one of the favourites for Stage 3.
Stage 2 Third Place: Virtus.Pro
- Jonas “Eisgnom” Stratemeyer (Tank)
- Ilari “Vestola” Vestola (Tank)
- Kevin “kevster” Persson (DPS)
- Kim “Jaewoo” Jae-woo (DPS)
- Niclas “sHockWave” Smidt Jensen (DPS)
- Kwon “FiXa” Yeong-hun (Support)
- Jesús “Galaa” Nuñez López (Support)
- Cho “SMASH” Bee-won (Coach)
Since their undefeated Stage 1 in EMEA OWCS, Virtus.Pro have been playing third wheel to Al Qadsiah and Twisted Minds. This has been largely attributed to their difficulty playing Symmetra compositions compared to the top two. While they found some success utilising Eis in that role at the Midseason Championship, they were ultimately eliminated by their domestic competition once reaching the playoff stage.
However, the strength of this core still managed to shine through against the other competitors in the region, with Virtus.Pro’s only losses all stage coming to the aforementioned top two. They outclassed all other competition, and have only gotten stronger with the signing of the off-season, kevster. This signing shows their intentions to surpass Twisted Minds and Al Qadsiah this stage. As EMEA's greatest to ever do it, kevster will bring extra firepower to the squad, and will hope to be a catalyst to send Virtus.Pro back to the top.
The rest of the roster remains unchanged, and with the Season 18 patch likely to lead to a serious meta shakeup, Virtus.Pro will be hoping to regain their Stage 1 status as best in the region.
Stage 2 Fifth/Sixth Place: Gen.G Esports
- Alexander “Tred” Madgwick-Smith (Tank)
- Daniel “xzodyal” Castro (Damage)
- Jamie “Backbone” O’Neill (Damage)
- Christian “Khenail” Rios (Support)
- Lewis “crispy” Beer (Support)
- Robert “Skai” Lupsa (Support)
Gen.G has seen a significant restructure during the off-season. Kim “Mag” Tae-sung and Lee “WhoRU” Seung-jun have departed, with the remainder of the core from Stage 2, David “xzodyal” Castro, Lewis “crispy” Beer and Christian “Khenail” Rios, continuing into Stage 3. Although not on the roster for OWCS, Saudi Arabians Mustafa "GaaRa" Alabdulsalam and Ziyad "zox" Aldosarie remain with the organisation to keep a Saudi eLeague version of the roster available.
Filling the gap with Mag gone is Alexander “Tred” Madgwick-Smith, moving over from Team Peps and reuniting with ex-teammate xzodyal. Alongside Tred, fellow Brit Jamie “Backbone” O’Neil has signed in the off-season to round out the DPS lineup alongside xzodyal. Backbone returns from a 2-stage retirement, wherein he focused on streaming and content creation. Backbone is a player with proven success on heroes like Mei and Symmetra, as showcased through his success on SSG in 2024 and his time on London Spitfire in the Overwatch League. On SSG he shared playtime with flex DPS player Maximillian “Seicoe” Otter, whereas on Gen.G he will be the sole flex DPS for the team and, as such, may be required to fill a wider array of roles than we have seen from him in the past.
Gen.G has also signed a third support in Robert “Skairipa” Lupsa, who was with The Ultimates in the previous two stages of EMEA. Lining up alongside crispy and Khenail, he should give the backline more freedom to implement a variety of different compositions.
Despite losing both Korean imports, the team still maintains their Korean coaches. Park “Crusty” Dae-hee as Head Coach of the team and Maeng “YaHo” Hyun-ho as his assistant coach. The coaching staff of Gen.G have been widely criticised in Stage 2 for not utilising their players on their strongest heroes. With WhoRU featuring on Symmetra and Mag on D.Va, leaning more into Stage 2’s most popular meta. This new roster also contains players who have higher peaks on specific heroes, such as the aforementioned Backbone on Mei and Symmetra, and so it waits to be seen whether Gen.G will pivot to cater more towards the strengths of their players or if they will continue to try and follow the perceived meta more closely.
With so many roster changes and the return of Backbone, a player with much success in the EMEA scene, Gen.G are hoping to improve their fortunes. Being one of only two partner teams, alongside ZETA Division, to fail to qualify for all Major international tournaments this year. Gen.G will be hoping that their different look will yield better results in their bid to qualify for the World Finals in Stockholm.
Stage 2 Fifth/Sixth Place: Team Peps
- Florian “Dip” Lefèvre (DPS)
- Leo-Kristian “Zorrow” Sundin (DPS)
- Terence “SoOn” Tarlier (DPS)
- William “Willys07” Ersson (Tank)
- Brice “FDGod” Monsçavoir (Support)
- Benjamin “Xeriongdh” Nambruide (Support)
French organisation Team Peps have made significant changes going into Stage 3 of OWCS EMEA. Tank player Alexander “Tred” Madgwick-Smith and DPS players Manuel “Ken” Demir and Moritz “Cookie084” Schmidt have departed from the team, making way for the core of 1DIPVS100GORILLAS. As such, Swede William “Willys07” Ersson comes in for tank, and Frenchman Florian “Dip” Lefèvre comes in for DPS. Filling out a 3-man DPS roster is Leo-Kristian “Zorrow” Sundin, fresh off a second-place finish in FACEIT League Season 5 EMEA Masters.
With these signings, there is a clear contrast between the more experienced talent of Brice “FDGod” Monsçavoir and Benjamin “Xeriongdh” Nambruide. Combined with the signing of three of OWCS' most promising players. This dynamic could serve as a great way for the newer players to develop with the help of their more experienced backline.
All-in-all, with Tred off to Gen.G and Cookie084 moving over to Team Vision, Team Peps continues to be a team that provides a stepping stone for talent in the scene. They’ll be hoping this new crop of players continues this trend. As such, this new lineup is certainly one to watch as we start to see whether or not the rookies can thrive under the Peps system. With a strong community behind them, Team Peps will be hoping to reach deeper into the playoff brackets than they have done so far this year to reward their fans' strong support.
Stage 2 Promotion/Relegation First Place: Team Vision
- Abdullah “Kayeose” Al-Mudaymiq (Tank)
- Luca “Tama” Gal (Tank)
- Choi “ChoiSehwan” Se-hwan (DPS)
- Moritz “cookie084” Schmidt (DPS)
- Kim “Prophet” Hyun-been (DPS, Saudi eLeague only)
- Park “Viol2t” Min-ki (Support)
- Simon “Scyle” Broström (Support)
- Fahad “One” Aloqayli (Support)
- Jung “Anamo” Tae-sung (Coach)
Moving up in first place from the EMEA Stage 2 Promotion/Relegation tournament, Team Vision’s roster is a fusion of promising rookies and veterans of the Overwatch esports scene. Team Vision has parted ways with tank Ahmed “amdp” Balateef, support Noah “alba” Mctavish and DPS Majed “slowdive” Alghamdi. Joining the remaining core is Saudi tank Abdullah “Kayeose” Al-Mudaymiq, making his first appearance in this year's EMEA OWCS. Also joining the roster are former The Ultimates support Simon “Scyle” Broström and Team Peps DPS Moritz “Cookie084” Schmidt. Kim “Prophet” Hyun-been also joins the roster, although he will only be playing in Saudi eLeague (SEL) with the two Saudi player roster limit now in effect, previously three.
Team Vision’s roster is one of the larger rosters in EMEA, which brings benefits but also requires them to manage the rotation of their players during practice and matches. Team Vision has found a lot of success in the promotion/relegation matches, SEL and the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) playing double flex support backlines, even taking Twisted Minds to a map 5 in the recent SEL Upper Bracket Semi-final. It is the expectation that Team Vision continue to lean into this style. Scyle is expected to be the starting support alongside Overwatch League champion Park “Viol2t” Min-Ki, with Fahad “One” Aloqayli playing for the SEL version of the roster. Viol2t still has the option to take main support duties when required, adding an element of flexibility to the roster. The only certainty on this roster is that we will see veteran Choi “ChoiSehwan” Se-hwan teaming up with Cookie084 to take on some of the most elite DPS lineups in the west.
Coming into EMEA OWCS from promotion/relegation is an achievement in itself. That being said, the expectations for this roster are much different to those usually set for newly promoted teams. Instead of scrapping for survival, real investment and significant player quality mean that Team Vision will be pushing for Major qualification. In fact, their success in SEL and map win against Falcons at the LCQ has shown their potential versus these titans, a feat they will be hoping to repeat.
Stage 2 Promotion/Relegation Second Place: Goud Guys ANM
- Loïc "KroxZ" Ricci (Tank)
- Corentin “Kio” (DPS)
- Simon "sxj" Debono (DPS)
- Filip “Scraine” Bergdahl (DPS)
- Adrian "EgS" Serwatka (Support)
- John “Johnowich” (Support)
Goud Guys ANM, who played under the name Anomaly in FACEIT Masters, are another one of the newly promoted teams. They achieved an impressive 12-3 record and placed 3rd in the region.
Since then, they have made some key changes to the roster. While the core remains the same, they have signed Kio from Frost Tails Esports, who looked impressive on Cassidy at times in Stage 2. While his hero pool has struggled in comparison to other hitscan players, a reunion with KroxZ often brings the best out of both of them. They have also signed sxj, who last played for Bright Future in Saudi eLeague Major 2, in which they finished 4th.
To make space on the roster, they have had to let go of both Leo-Kristian “Zorrow” Sundin and Rene “k1ng” Rangel. Zorrow was a promising prospect in EMEA, and has since signed for Team Peps, and k1ng, a veteran from NA, with Luminosity Gaming and Overwatch League franchise, Vancouver Titans.
While expected to be one of the weaker sides in OWCS Stage 3, KroxZ has never been one to back away from a challenge. The Frenchman will lead his team's uphill battle against a strong field of competition.
Stage 2 Promotion/Relegation Third Place: Quick Esports
- Christiano “Evil” Verissimo (DPS)
- Ulrik “SNOWDR0P” Kolstad (DPS)
- Peter “ZERO” Kolner (DPS)
- Lancelot “Skytorr” Sergeant (Tank)
- Jonathan “Jonte” Johansson (Support)
- Monty “Strebor” Roberts (Support)
- Valdemar “yoham” Fog von Qualen (Support)
- Ryan “PnR” Foskett (Coach)
Quick Esports find themselves in OWCS due to The Ultimates being unable to field a roster in Stage 3. Following their disbanding on August 14th, Quick Esports had fully rebuilt just 3 days later and is now looking to compete with EMEA’s best.
The DPS lineup for Quick Esports is stacked with rookies eager to prove themselves. Ulrik “SNOWDR0P” Kolstad played under Quick Esports (subsequently 1DIPVS100GORILLAS) as a third dps, and as such did not see much playtime. Crucially, it appears he will get a chance to start here with Peter “ZERO” Kolner occupying the substitute DPS position. Rounding off this DPS lineup is French rookie Christiano “Evil” Verissimo, who was on the roster for FACEIT Master Division before Quick Esports was promoted to OWCS.
Lancelot “Skytorr” Sergeant returns to Quick Esports, last playing for the organisation in Stage 2 before the roster became 1DIPVS100GORILLAS. Under that iteration of the team, he lost lots of playtime to William “Willys07” Ersson. This is another case of Quick Esports' late addition to Stage 3, allowing players with limited opportunities previously to get starting spots.
Joining the roster for support is Valdemar “yoham” Fog von Qualen, the flex support player from the Quick Esports/1DIPVS100GORILLAS core. He is joined by Monty “Strebor” Roberts, who is back in OWCS after a tough Stage 1 with Sakura Esports and a break in Stage 2.
Despite SNOWDR0P, Skytorr and yoham all having some experience on a roster together, this is a group of players who have struggled to find results above bottom two finishes in OWCS previously. Given the nature of their late entry into OWCS, this is an unexpected opportunity for a lot of the roster to prove themselves at the OWCS level.