đ OWCS in full swing with four vital duels: OWCS EMEA Stage 3, Week 3 preview
Week 3 in EMEA kicks off on September 20, and every team is looking at a crucial fixture in one of the most important matchweeks of the season. And weâll cover why this is the case for each team involved.
You can catch up on anything youâve missed from the previous week in our Week 2 summary.
Itâs worth mentioning that the Flashpoint map, Aatlis, which has been picked six times so far (86% of all Flashpoint picks) in OWCS EMEA, was disabled due to a bug and will not be available in Week 3.
EMEA Week 3 - Day 1 (September 20, 2025)
Gen.G Esports - Team Peps
Gen.G Esports and Team Peps head into Week 3 with a single win under each of their belts, and a win here will have a significant impact on whether they widen the gap to the relegation slots and qualify for playoffs or stay in the danger zone.
Both teams are evenly matched, with core compositions of promising young players complemented by a few veterans who can make the difference on any given day.
Team Peps DPS player Florian âDipâ Lefèvre has already left their 3-0 loss to Twisted Minds in the past and is positive in their ability to win against Gen.G. In his interview with Julien "Boomstox" Gras-Davy, he said, âI know itâs an important match, but Iâm confident we can win it.â
Thereâs a stark difference between how these teams approach the game. Gen.G have been finding a lot of success playing Symmetra with Cassidy, Kiriko, and Lucio, while Team Peps prefers to play around Wuyang and Hazard. However, Gen.G, coming from their win against Quick Esports and having won a map against Virtus.pro, will have the mental upper hand and will look to continue their upward trajectory with a win this week.
Game of the week: Al Qadsiah - Virtus.pro
The matchup of the week. First place is squaring off against second. Two teams that have gone undefeated so far, but come Saturday, that will end for one of them. A victory for Al Qadsiah here should cement them at the top of the table for the rest of the season.
Virtus.pro and Al Qadsiah mark the clash of two opposing styles of play. Al Qadsiah are lauded to be the masters of the Symmetra/hitscan composition, while Virtus.pro have almost exclusively been playing double-flex-DPS compositions so far.
Last time the two EMEA giants met was during the Midseason Championship in the Quarterfinals. Al Qadsiah came out the victor in a 3-0 sweep, knocking Virtus.pro out of the tournament, and continuing all the way to the Grand Final. Virtus.pro will be looking for a reversal this week and seems confident that they can do it. We sat down with veteran support player for Virtus.pro Kwon âFiXaâ Yeong-hun, and he told us, âWe lost 6-0 last stage and EWC against Al Qadsiah, but I guarantee it will not happen this time.â Al Qadsiahâs support player, Kristian âKellexâ Keller, on the other hand, thinks that Virtus.pro losing one map against Gen.G Esports is a clear sign that Al Qadsiah are the favourites for this matchup.
However, two key factors will cast a massive doubt on both teams going into the matchup. Al Qadsiah have so far only played against teams thatâve also played hitscan compositions, namely, Twisted Minds and Team Vision. While Virtus.pro may be facing an unexpected twist of their own. On Tuesday, September 16, the midseason balance update toned down both Tracer and Genji, two key heroes in Virtus.proâs double-flex lineup. Weâll see if the team switches things up by Saturday.
EMEA Week 3 - Day 2 (September 21, 2025)
Quick Esports - Goud Guys Anomaly
A critical matchday for both Goud Guys ANM and Quick Esports. With both teams looking to avoid relegation, it is vital to achieve a victory this upcoming weekend.
âI am not scared at all. I will not lose to that, Iâm sorry,â said GG ANM support player, Adrian âEgSâ Serwatka, in his interview with OWTV. Goud Guys ANM showed multiple signs of their potential against their promotion rivals, Team Vision, proving that the team can punch above their weight. Additionally, the midseason balance update brought multiple buffs to Roadhog, one of GG ANM tank LoĂŻc âKroxZâ Ricciâs best hero picks. The team will certainly look to capitalise on these to secure their first win of the season.
Team Vision - Twisted Minds
The last but not in any way least of this weekâs matchups, Team Vision, currently third, takes on fourth-place, Twisted Minds. This match will put the winner in the driverâs seat for third place in the standings and in a striking position for second in the coming weeks.
Last week, Twisted Minds put on a dominating display against Team Peps and bounced back in style after their loss in Week 1. They will be hungry for another win here, to put themselves comfortably into third place and immediately threaten Virtus.pro, currently second, in Week 4.
Similar to their upcoming opposition, Team Vision also lost to Al Qadsiah on the opening week of the season, but the similarities in team structure between Al Qadsiah and Twisted Minds may have given Team Vision the necessary insight on how to be more effective against them. Their victory against Goud Guys ANM may have put the promotion/relegation rivalry to bed, and now they can move forward and aim for the top-three finish theyâre looking for.