đź“ť OWCS Stage 1 EMEA Week 2 preview
OWCS 2026 in EMEA started with the usual suspects on top while the rest try to find their rhythm in the new, volatile, six-team OWCS era. Week 2 begins on March 18, and with the two top teams, Virtus.pro and Twisted Minds, slated to play a game each, the rest of the table will look to capitalise on the closer set of games on hand. With a shorter regular season, this week's fixtures are must-watches for any OWCS EMEA fan, as each result carries significant playoff and relegation implications.
If you missed any of last week’s action or just need a refresher, make sure to catch up before the weekend begins.
Al Qadsiah vs. Geekay Esports
This fixture is sure to be an exciting opener to the EMEA action on Saturday. Ex Al Qadsiah superstars Ziyad “ZIYAD” Alkathiri and Abdulelah “LBBD7” Alfaifi now face off against their old organisation in what could prove to be the game of the week in EMEA.
Compositionally, these teams could not be more different. Geekay Esports will likely continue to lean into the D.Va/Kiriko/Lucio compositions that have tended to dominate EMEA as of late. On the other hand, Al Qadsiah utilised a Lucio ban in both of their games last weekend. We also saw a bit of variety from their tank player, Ilari “Vestola” Vestola, who played heroes like Domina, Orisa, and Zarya.
This series will most definitely be decided by the team that can set up their style for success. For Al Qadsiah, utilising the flexibility of Jesús “Galaa” Núñez López and Majed “SirMajed” Alrashied will give them an advantage over Geekay Esports. As for their opponents, Geekay will likely be more comfortable playing the push-pull D.Va style that their core saw so much success on last year.
Twisted Minds vs. Anyone’s Legend
Two teams that entered OWCS from polar-opposite directions. Twisted Minds entered the competition as world champions and put on a flawless performance in Week 1. With only a single match in Week 2, they face off against the third and final open qualifier for OWCS EMEA Stage 1, Anyone’s Legend, who fought their way through the Open Qualifier lower bracket after being sent there in a 3-1 loss by Al Qadsiah.
Anyone’s Legend could not have asked for a harder start to their season. They played Virtus.pro in their first OWCS match in Week 1 and lost 3-0, and are now moving on to the favourites in EMEA. They are certainly the underdogs in this game, but they’re certainly not lacking in individual talent, and their assistant coach, Jamie “Backbone” O'Neill, has a knack for concocting plans that tend to punch above their weight. They’re also the only team that leans towards the unconventional Winston pick due to their tank, Tama, and it’s bound to pay off one day.
Virtus.pro vs. Team Peps
On paper, this game should be another fixture with a clear favourite this week. Team Peps come into this match after suffering a 3-0 loss to Twisted Minds and a 3-2 loss to Al Qadsiah, ending in a brutal shutdown of what could have been a reverse sweep.
Virtus.pro had a comparatively more comfortable week, although their 3-1 victory over Al Qadsiah was certainly less clean than one might have expected. Nevertheless, both Team Peps and Virtus.pro played Al Qadsiah, and Virtus.pro clearly outperformed, which should be indicative of the difference between these teams. That being said, when Peps managed to get their Hazard comp going against Al Qadsiah, it looked very strong and should not be counted out straight away.
Team Peps vs. Geekay Esports
The stakes are high in this regular-season game, as both these teams face off in their second game of the weekend. Eyes will be on the bans for this one, as each team tries to enable their strategy in a pretty open meta.
Given the international and regional success of players like ZIYAD and LBBD7 last year, Geekay Esports should be the favourites to win this one. ZIYAD has looked monstrous on D.Va in the past, and despite a sweeping loss to Twisted Minds last weekend, it would be disastrous to underestimate the reigning rookie of the year. Unlike most hitscans, LBBD7 still seems to prefer Sojourn over Emre at the moment, and perhaps this difference could give Team Peps an edge over Geekay.
Speaking of which, Team Peps come into this series as more of an underdog in the public’s eye. In a recent interview for OWTV, however, world champion Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway spoke favourably of Team Peps, recalling how they took a map off Crazy Raccoon. And as soon as Team Peps figure out how to manoeuvre the ban phase to enable their Hazard compositions, they will quickly become a real threat in the region.
Al Qadsiah vs. Anyone’s Legend
Anyone’s Legend support Lewis “Crispy” Beer is approaching this match-up on a high note. So are we. This match has the potential to be the game of the week. A clash of two very different styles, this is a worthy closer for what’s a critical week in EMEA.
For Al Qadsiah, we can expect them to take us to maps that favour their slower comps, prioritising the double flex support that makes Majed “SirMajed” Alrashied and JesĂşs “Galaa” Núñez LĂłpez such a formidable backline. This is a match that should favour them, as Anyone’s Legend backliners Crispy and Christian “Khenail” RĂos are not necessarily known for the type of compositions SirMajed and Galaa can force.
That being said, where Anyone’s Legend do have an edge is that they rely more on the Winston compositions we mentioned above that Tama is known for. In the same interview mentioned above, Crispy discussed the team’s confidence in Tama’s abilities and the competitive edge his hero pool gives them. It will be interesting to see how forcing heroes like Winston will work against Al Qadsiah, since traditionally Winston is much worse at punishing the wider double-flex support comps than D.Va would be. This will certainly be an interesting clash of styles, and we will watch in anticipation to see which team comes out on top.