📝 Something has happened: EMEA Playoffs Week 1

It’s the beginning of the end for the Overwatch Champions Series in EMEA, and the final stretch leading to Stockholm is now underway. The final week of the regular season ended with every team settling roughly where we expected them to be. Virtus.pro were untouchable, Team Peps looked shaky, Gen.G carried some momentum from the week before, but not enough to earn themselves a victory.

Things took a drastic turn this week, and the script has been well and truly flipped. Within the span of a single weekend, the region where everything had been running according to plan so far delivered us multiple upsets the likes of which we might not experience again for a while.

Game of the week: Virtus.pro 2 - 3 Gen.G Esports

Virtus.pro entered the lower bracket with everything to lose, one of the tournament’s early favourites, boasting a stacked roster and a confident identity, suddenly found themselves a single series away from elimination. Across the whole of Stage 3, Gen.G Esports stood as the unlikely survivors of the regular season: a team that had clawed its way up through perseverance, adaptation, and a steady improvement in form. What followed was a five-map epic that defied expectations and reshaped the playoff picture entirely.

Virtus.pro started the series on Ilios. Opting for Kim “JaeWoo” Jae-woo and kevster, but instead of playing the double-flex-DPS they’re known for, kevster went in as the hitscan, Freja, instead. Virtus.pro dominated from the outset; their pace and mechanical execution left Gen.G with no room to breathe, as Alexander “Tred” Madgwick-Smith failed to even charge a single ultimate before the round ended 100-0. On Lighthouse, Gen.G attempted to disrupt the rhythm with a classic Mei-Symmetra-Reinhardt setup, aiming to lock down the point early. But Virtus.pro dismantled their bunker-style approach with constant disruptions from eisgnom’s Wrecking Ball and Kwon "FiXa" Yeong-hun’s Wuyang. Though Gen.G managed to drag out a few fights, Virtus.pro maintained control to take the first map and the 1-0 lead.

Gen.G responded quickly by taking the series to their comfort pick, Esperança. With Symmetra off the table, they reverted to the tried-and-tested Zarya-Reaper core, and it paid off. Virtus.pro started strong once again, Niclas “sHockWave” Smidt Jensen subbing in for JaeWoo and immediately finding impact on Freja. But as the map progressed, Gen.G’s coordination began to shine. Early picks on Jonas “eisgnom” Stratemeyer disrupted VP’s structure, allowing Gen.G to win multiple fights without committing a single ultimate. By the time VP could recover, Gen.G had seized the initiative, surging forward through the final stretch and levelling the series at 1-1.

Momentum entirely shifted in Gen.G’s favour. On Eichenwalde, Gen.G’s Tracer ban forces kevster on Venture first, but quickly switched to Pharah. Gen.G are comfortable continuing with Jamie “Backbone” O'Neill on Reaper, with Zarya at his back. Gen.G put out a statement defence, holding their ground masterfully against VP’s elite line-up, locking down their opponents to a single point, pushing VP to the brink of elimination and the match point.

Desperation brought out the best in Virtus.pro. With the Tracer ban lifted, both teams committed to the double-flex comps for Aatlis: Tracer-Reaper for Gen.G, and Tracer-Venture for Virtus.pro. Subbing JaeWoo back in for sHockWave. The entire map was a constant scrap between VP and Gen.G. However, Virtus.pro took the 3-0 win and pushed the series to a decisive fifth map with the better tempo and experience in the double-flex composition.

Everything came down to Rialto. Virtus.pro waited until the final map to take away Backbone’s preferred pick, Reaper, and forced him to go Symmetra. Gen.G were unfazed. They took a page from Twisted Minds’ playbook from the day before and perfectly executed the aggressive Symmetra teleports to overwhelm VP’s backline. Daniel “xzodyal” Castro was unrelenting on Cassidy, a statement that would continue to ring true throughout the entire map. VP slowly bring stability back to their defence line, but they’re consistently prone to Backbone’s and xzodyal’s pressure. Gen.G managed to push the payload all the way to three points in overtime.

Side-switch and Virtus.pro started things off quite shaky as Xzodyal put on another gun show from the high ground. It eventually cost VP all five of their ultimates to break Gen.G’s hold and crawl their way to capture the first point. Once VP cleared the initial chokepoint, they managed to sail comparatively smoothly all the way to the finish line with two extra minutes left on the clock. VP force the tiebreaker with a sizeable time advantage on their side.

Gen.G start their final push, they rally together, and VP are victims of the Symmetra Teleporter once again, as Gen.G dominantly capture the first point. Despite hitting overtime already, they managed to continue their push all the way to the very edge of the 2nd checkpoint. A very bizarre positioning error from Virtus.pro saw them stuck behind Gen.G as the latter continued their push forward without a single VP player to hold them back. Virtus.pro eventually managed to charge up a few ultimates and put a stop to Gen.G’s push. However, the damage was done, and Gen.G had gained an incredible advantage despite being in overtime throughout the whole sequence.

Virtus.pro’s final push began with elimination on the line. With xzodyal taking up the high ground on Cassidy, a position that has worked wonders for the team this far. And it was successful yet again. Combined with Backbone’s Symmetra, Gen.G managed to stop VP multiple times, forcing them to eventually scrap a messy win just to get past the first point. On their push towards the finish line, their previous positioning mistake and the precious meters they gave up to Gen.G cost the team everything. They hit overtime halfway through their push and eventually fell just a few meters short of the finish line.

With that, Gen.G completed one of the most astonishing upsets of OWCS, eliminating Virtus.pro, a team that had been all but pencilled in for Stockholm, in a 3-2 thriller. For Virtus.pro, it marks a bitter end to a year that began with such promise and star power. For Gen.G, it’s vindication, a triumph born of resilience, teamwork, and steady growth that sends them one win away from a miracle qualification.

During Gen.G’s pivotal tiebreaker push, already in overtime, midway to the second point, Virtus.pro repositioned behind them in what could have been a match-winning flank. But rather than panic, Gen.G pushed forward. “I was kinda worried when xzodyal died ‘cause I think he overstayed and greeded,” Backbone recalled. “But then I was really surprised that they [Virtus.pro] let us just keep dropping ults and getting meters on the board. It’s a completely fine play not in OT, but with Kitsune from Khenail, I expected them to realise they had to push us… by the time they tried to touch fully, we’d already taken all of second.”

It was one of those beautiful sequences where composure trumped chaos, and Backbone knew it. “If you told me we’d be 4v5 halfway through second in OT and we’d still basically get the full cap, I’d call you a liar,” he said. “They had the ults and the ability to stop it earlier, but some combination of not realising in time and nerves or panic put us in a spot that the map was gonna be really hard to lose.”

The extra push, a few dozen precious meters, ultimately erased Virtus.pro’s time-bank advantage and defined the map. “The moment xzodyal died, the push was over,” Backbone added with a laugh. “So at that point, it’s all about getting extra meters on the board. I was really happy that the team instantly recognised that, because taking the time to say it can be the difference between an extra five or ten meters.”

But perhaps the true turning point came even earlier, in map selection. “I think them picking Eichenwalde was a big moment for us since it was also our map choice of the day,” Backbone explained. “They thought we were gonna pick King’s Row ‘cause we always do in officials and scrims, but I checked the scrim sheet the day before and said, ‘Guys, we haven’t beat them the last six times we played — maybe let’s not.’ Then we ended up playing a decent comp for us and a matchup we knew. Everything showed that the game was winnable.”

That preparation and Virtus.pro's failure to adapt sealed the upset. “It didn’t feel like they adapted much from their game against Twisted Minds,” Backbone said. “Towards the end of Eichenwalde, they started trying different things, especially with the Sym.”

In a single series, Gen.G redefined the narrative of their season: from inconsistent hopefuls to legitimate contenders. And if this level of discipline continues, the dream of seeing Gen.G on the Stockholm stage may not be that far-fetched.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Xzodyal lays down the law.

When Gen.G entered the playoffs, few would have expected them to be the team dictating the pace of a match against Virtus.pro, and yet, at the heart of that stunning upset stood xzodyal. From the first map to the last, the Gen.G hitscan delivered a masterclass in consistency, precision, and composure under pressure. His Cassidy play on Rialto became the defining image of the series: calm, controlled, and utterly ruthless.

Coming into the postseason, expectations for Gen.G were tempered. They had only just managed to scrape into the playoffs, finishing with a 2–5 record, and now faced one of the region’s most refined rosters in Virtus.pro, a squad many had pegged a shoe-in for Stockholm. But while most of the conversation revolved around kevster and eisgnom, it was xzodyal who quietly stole the show.

Across the five-map thriller, xzodyal’s Cassidy was a constant thorn in Virtus.pro’s side, anchoring Gen.G’s lineup with precision and aggressive, but lethal positioning. Whether it was locking down sightlines on Rialto or finding the perfect angles to dismantle VP’s backline, he brought the kind of unflinching composure that draws the line between mere contenders and the truly elite of OWCS.

The Spaniard earns his player of the week at the culmination of three straight weeks of standout performances. Starting with Twisted Minds, going toe-to-toe with Ibrahem “Quartz” Alali, Al Qadsiah, and finally, their historic win against Virtus.pro. In a roster still finding its rhythm throughout the season, but growing steadily, xzodyal has been a shining example of the mental fortitude it takes to achieve this growth. His adaptability mirrors Gen.G’s own evolution: a team learning how to turn early-season struggles into playoff resilience.

Xzodyal’s precise dominance told a clear story this week: the rise of a new marksman, one of relentless discipline and the kind of mechanical sharpness that turns close fights into statements. In a weekend of upsets and high-stakes heroics, xzodyal didn’t just perform, he led Gen.G to believe.

Results summary: Team Peps rise to the occasion

Al Qadsiah 3 - 0 Team Vision

The first series of the OWCS EMEA Playoffs delivered a rollercoaster of hype moments, but in the end, Al Qadsiah reaffirmed why they’ve been the region’s dominant force all season, dispatching Team Vision with a decisive 3-0 sweep to secure their ticket to Stockholm and the OWCS World Finals.

Al Qadsiah picked Lijiang Tower for Map 1. Team Vision opened with a surprise on Night Market, fielding Choi “ChoiSehwan” Se-hwan on Echo and Luca “Tama” Gal on Doomfist, while Al Qadsiah stuck with their tried-and-true composition. The latest balance patch may have influenced Team Vision’s composition and Mauga ban, however, the experiment failed to gain traction. Al Qadsiah overran them with a clean 100-0 start. A tighter contest followed on Control Center, with Vision showing far more composure. A cancelled Sound Barrier, Ajax, from Park “Viol2t” Min-ki could have cost Team Vision dearly, surprisingly set the stage for a turnaround, as Vision capitalised on Ziyad’s equally mistimed Annihilation on Ramattra. Vision managed to take the round and level the score. On Garden, however, familiar mistakes crept back in. ChoiSehwan switching back to Echo and another costly Ajax from Viol2t gave Al Qadsiah the 1-0 lead.

Team Vision’s map pick, Gibraltar, raised eyebrows, given their usual preference for Junkertown, but the team started well. Slow and steady at the start, but managed to push through once Simon “Scyle” Broström hit the Nano Boost and they got the first point. Their progress came to an abrupt halt, however, as Qadsiah’s coordination and Landon “Landon” McGee’s heroics shut down every subsequent push.

After the side-switch, Team Vision initially mounted a strong defence, but disaster struck twice in quick succession. In a bizarre turn, Vision C9’d the first point, allowing Al Qadsiah to capture it freely, and then did so again at the finish line. Despite flashes of brilliance, especially from ChoiSehwan, Vision handed Al Qadsiah a comfortable 2-0 series lead.

With elimination from the upper bracket looming, Vision banned Symmetra, while Al Qadsiah targeted Zarya, setting the stage for a dynamic back-and-forth on Suravasa. Abdulelah “LBBD7” Alfaifi’s Freja gave Al Qadsiah early momentum, taking the first point to 99%, but a stunning Kitsune Rush from Scyle against all odds, and the third Ajax of the series by Kristian “Kellex” Keller helped Vision flip the point and snatch the round. From there, though, Al Qadsiah regained control. A pair of early picks on Viol2t repeatedly left Vision scrambling, allowing Al Qadsiah to claim the next two rounds. The final point saw the Midseason Championship finalists close in style: a devastating Self-Destruct triple-kill from Ziyad, followed by another triple by LBBD7 the subsequent fight, secured the 3-0 sweep for Al Qadsiah.

Al Qadsiah remain undefeated in OWCS, securing their spot at Stockholm and continuing their flawless campaign. Team Vision drop to the lower bracket, where they’ll face Team Peps in a battle to keep their season alive.

Virtus.pro 0 - 3 Twisted Minds

The second upper bracket matchup between Virtus.pro and Twisted Minds was billed as one of the tightest contests of the weekend, but instead, it became a statement series for Twisted Minds. With a clean 3-0 sweep, they punched their ticket to Stockholm, joining Al Qadsiah at the OWCS World Finals in Stockholm.

On Map 1, Samoa, Twisted Mind opened the series with a pretty major shift to their roster, fielding Abdualziz “TVNT” Altmimi and Ahmad “Youbi” Alyoubi over their regular season starters Alhumaidi “KSAA” Alruwaili and Maximilian “Seicoe” Otter. Virtus.pro opted for the Symmetra ban, and it immediately paid off. They neutralised Youbi’s comfort pick and allowed them to dominate the opening round 100-0 with ease. The momentum shifted sharply on Downtown, as Twisted Minds adapted to the map’s wider sightlines, also forcing Virtus.pro’s FiXa off Brigitte and onto Lucio, giving Quartz and Youbi the space they needed to thrive. Twisted Minds returned the favour with a 100-0 of their own to even the score. Downtown and subsequently, Volcano, set the momentum for the rest of the series. Despite an early strike from Virtus.pro, they never managed to regain full control of the rhythm, and Twisted Minds held firm to take the early series lead.

As expected, Youbi immediately returned to Symmetra, while eisgnom jumped onto Zarya to pressure TVNT’s D.Va. The round opened evenly, but Virtus.pro’s coordination faltered just when it mattered most. Despite landing a perfect Graviton Surge + Pulse Bomb combo to wipe Twisted Minds, a disastrous fumble saw FiXa waste his Sound Barrier with no threat in sight.

Twisted Minds capitalised on the misplay immediately and stalled the point with Youbi’s Photon Barrier and denied Virtus.pro from completing even the first checkpoint. On attack, Twisted Minds were clinical. Every engagement was decisive, and with flawless execution, they marched the payload through without breaking a sweat, extending their series lead to 2-0.

On Eichenwalde, both teams ran the Baptiste mirror. Twisted Minds initially looked dominant, but in a bout of overconfidence, they overstayed their welcome, allowed Virtus.pro to break through, and capture the first point. Their push for the second point continued strong until the final stretch, where Twisted Minds’ defence came together and put a hard stop to Virtus.pro’s push right at the gate. After the side-switch, Twisted Minds unleashed their trademark aggression. Their Symmetra Teleport plays kept Virtus.pro constantly on the back foot, yielding ground meter by meter. VP managed a desperate hold mere meters from the finish, but Twisted Minds needed just one final coordinated push, and they delivered. A perfectly timed Teleport collapse swept through Virtus.pro’s line, sealing the map, the sweep, and their spot in Stockholm.

Twisted Minds’ dominant showing sends them through to Stockholm alongside Al Qadsiah, while Virtus.pro dropped to the lower bracket, where they were defeated by Gen.G Esports in a shocking loss for VP’s star-studded loss.

Team Vision 1 - 3 Team Peps

After a shaky regular season, Team Peps entered the playoffs as underdogs, but in one of the biggest upsets of the season, they swept aside Team Vision with a commanding 3-1 victory. With the win, Peps eliminate Team Vision from the tournament and move one step closer to a potential appearance at the World Finals.

The opening map, Samoa, began with Scyle on Ana and Brice “FDGod” Monsçavoir on Juno due to the Lucio ban, and ChoiSehwan on Pharah and Florian “Dip” Lefèvre on Sombra due to the Tracer ban. On Volcano, Vision were on the move, very mobile, and showed great skill on an individual level. However, Peps secured the first round by winning a couple of key fights, despite not being flawless in execution. The second round in Downtown was all Peps. ChoiSehwan swapped from Pharah to Genji, but Vision were shut down at every turn. Peps’ coordinated aggression overwhelmed Vision’s scattered attempts to regroup, and the round ended swiftly. Vision barely managed to contest the point as Peps took the early series lead.

Switching to their preferred Junkertown, Vision aimed to reset the tone. They banned Kiriko, freeing Viol2t to play his comfort Illari, but Peps countered with Baptiste-Lucio for stability. Vision’s plan backfired almost immediately. Peps dismantled Vision’s usually strong long-range setups, forcing Viol2t off Illari and onto Lucio mid-map. Vision failed to score a single point. On attack, Peps looked unstoppable. Their pacing, timing, and coordination are immaculate as they stormed through Vision’s defence and took the first point and the map win in no time. A stunning result, Peps were in total control, while Vision looked out of sync and visibly shaken.

Map 3, Suravasa. Desperate to stay alive, Vision banned Hazard, and Peps banned Wuyang. With Hazard out of the picture, Tama picked Zarya to counter William “Willys” Ersson’s D.Va. The map started a bit more according to the script, as Vision found their footing thanks to a very early Sound Barrier by Viol2t, but Peps quickly retaliated, seizing back control and grabbing the first point. The second point was a rout. Peps dominated every engagement, and another Viol2t Ajax, symbolic of Vision’s collapse, sealed the 2nd point for Peps. With a single point capture away from elimination, Vision finally came together. Relying on Moritz “cookie” Schmidt’s precision picks and a perfectly-timed pick on FDGod, who was sitting on 99% towards his next Sound Barrier, Vision finally grabbed their first point of the whole series. Their momentum carried into a tense fourth point, where their ultimate economy came in clutch as they survived Peps’ Graviton Surge + Sound Barrier push, and Vision levelled the score 2-2. The final bout devolved into a chaotic slugfest. Dip swapped to Reaper to put a stop to Tama’s Winston, and Peps nearly pulled it off, pressuring the Austrian into multiple mistakes. However, the rest of Team Vision rallied in the closing seconds, forced Peps off of the point, and secured their first win of the series: 1-2.

With two maps in hand, Peps made a calculated decision to go to Esperança first, where they’ve found some success in the past, but not as much as King’s Row, which would have surely followed if the series had gone to a 5th map. However, it never did, and Peps’ gambit paid off spectacularly. They refused to let their one defeat snowball into a reverse-sweep and completely dominated Map 4. Team Peps started the map on Hazard, forcing Tama from Zarya to D.Va, then to Hazard. Nothing worked for Team Vision. Leo-Kristian “Zorrow” Sundin and Dip played a great game, and Team Peps were always a step ahead of Vision, reading their every move, countering Vision’s plans before they could even form. It was a clinical performance that capped off one of the season’s biggest shocks.

It’s the kind of result that turns a playoff bracket upside down. Team Peps delivered one of the biggest upsets of the OWCS season, eliminating one of the preseason favourites from playoff contention.

For Vision, the defeat was crushing, not just because of what it meant for their playoff hopes, but because of how close they were to meeting expectations. Team Vision manager El-Hassan “Skeng1” Gamea reflected candidly on the result: “Everyone’s goal for OWCS was to finish in the top three. This was the expectation from the org, myself, the coaches, and the players. We knew we were ranked 4th–5th best team from fans, etc. Congratulations to Gen.G and Peps for qualifying ahead of us, but to see two teams you beat in the regular season finish above you just hurts. Overall, as a team, our highs were very high and our lows were very low.”

It’s a tough exit for Vision, a team that flashed moments of brilliance all season but ultimately fell just short when it mattered most.

Team Peps’ confidence and preparation paid off in stunning fashion, as they eliminated Team Vision from the playoffs. The result propels Peps into the lower bracket semifinal, where they’ll face Gen.G Esports, with a spot at the World Finals now just one victory away.

Looking ahead to their next matchup against Gen.G, Team Peps marksman, Zorrow’s confidence remains measured but unwavering: “I feel really confident in my team coming into the Gen.G match. We’ve always been very even with them and have had weeks where we’re winning all the scrims and weeks where they have. But all of us on Peps are super motivated to make this last step and qualify to Worlds — it’s been our goal ever since the roster got created.”

And if that “last step” leads them to Stockholm, it’ll carry a special weight for the team’s Swedish duo. “It feels unreal if we make Worlds, seeing how it’s in Sweden,” Zorrow added. “I have barely gotten my head around that we’re one game away. I think Willys thinks the same — it would honestly just be insane.”