📝 The First All-EMEA Grand Finals: Twisted Minds Claim the Crown

After a year defined by turbulence and triumph, two regional titans constantly pushing each other to their limits, Al Qadsiah and Twisted Minds met once more on the biggest stage of all. Their earlier clash of the day only intensified the stakes. This time, the winner wouldn’t just claim another step on the road to glory, they would become the Overwatch 2025 World Champions.

Even before Twisted Minds secured their place in the final, their confidence was unmistakable. Their rival hitscan, Abdulelah “LBBD7” Alfaifi, spoke it into existence: “I think Twisted Minds will be our opponents in the Grand Final. EMEA on top. Always.” his rival, Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway, echoed the exact same sentiment with his usual grin: “It’s gonna be an EMEA-only grand finals. There’s not just going to be one team, there’s going to be both of us.”

Al Qadsiah entered the arena equally self-aware and hungry. Their coach, Junkbuck, reflected on how both EMEA squads found success through adaptability: “I think we [Al Qadsiah and Twisted Minds] kinda embrace what's strong… other teams are kinda too stubborn in that aspect.” If the final was to be decided by willingness to evolve, both sides had already proven worthy.

Map 1: Nepal (Al Qadsiah pick), Al Qadsiah ban Reinhardt, Twisted Minds ban Lucio

Al Qadsiah started by banning Reinhardt, keeping ZIYAD’s tank options open, while Twisted Minds removed Lucio to skew the backline matchups. Twisted made a key adjustment from their loss earlier in the day to Al Qadsiah: Maximilian “Seicoe” Otter out, Ahmad “Youbi” Alyoubi in.

Both teams opened Village with matching Symmetra comps, Ibrahem “Quartz” Alali on Freja and LBBD7 on Sojourn. Twisted Minds lost Quartz early, but did not falter. Their aggression, ult tempo, and Ramattra-into-D.Va control allowed them to snowball the first round.

On Sanctum, ZIYAD fired back with a brilliant triple to secure the opening cap, but Twisted Minds’ counterpunch was devastating. Once Abdualziz “TVNT” Altmimi’s Ramattra led the engage, their hold became immovable. They closed out the map with complete composure, taking a confident 1-0 series lead, despite it being Al Qadsiah’s map pick.

Map 2: King’s Row (Al Qadsiah pick), Al Qadsiah ban Roadhog, Twisted Minds ban Kiriko

Al Qadsiah stuck to their identity on attack: D.Va, Symmetra, Sojourn, with Landon “Landon” McGee on Baptsite, and Kristian “Kellex” Keller on Lucio. Twisted Minds mirrored everything except tank, TVNT went Ramattra.

Twisted Minds’ defence was suffocating from the start. Youbi and Quartz ran rampant until LBBD7’s Overclock finally cracked open the point. Even then, Qadsiah’s push stalled repeatedly, every attempt meeting Quartz’s relentless pressure. His signature Overlock led to a massive 4K and put a stop to Qadsiah’s push at a single point.

On attack, Twisted Minds barely needed more than a blink. A lightning-speed push, zero hesitation, and total dominance put them up 2-0. The pressure had fully shifted onto Al Qadsiah’s shoulders.

Map 3: New Junk City (Al Qadsiah pick), Al Qadsiah ban Wrecking Ball, Twisted Minds ban Sojourn

Backs against the wall, Qadsiah loaded into their third consecutive map pick determined to stop the bleeding. Both sides entered with full mirrors, Symmetra, Cassidy, Kiriko/Lucio, except for TVNT on Ramattra and ZIYAD and D.Va.

The opening fight was fully under LBBD7’s full control. Twisted Minds momentarily flipped A, but Qadsiah stabilised, controlled the ult trade, and secured the cap. Point B fell after ZIYAD got an early pick on Kim “Simple” Ji-sung, and Twisted Minds struggle to break into the point, and Qadsiah take the cap.

On Point C, Al Qadsiah were flawless, backed by a rare Twisted Minds C9 gave Al Qadsiah a desperately needed map sweep. For the first time all series, momentum shifted, but not for long.

Map 4: Route 66 (Twisted Minds pick), Al Qadsiah ban Wuyang, Twisted Minds ban D.Va

Twisted Minds responded immediately. With Quartz back on Freja, and the teams mirroring their comps once again, Twisted Minds tore through the first point on attack. Quartz’s lethal Bola Shots dismantled Qadsiah again and again, the sharpshooter had a Bola Shot ready for every single team fight. In Al Qadsiah’s dismay, whenever they would finally manage to remove Quartz, Youbi stepped up to continue the devastation. Twisted Minds finished their push with over two minutes in the bank.

Al Qadsiah’s counterattack collapsed almost instantly. Due to Twisted’s D.Va ban, the vertical pressure from Quartz and Youbi was overwhelming. They didn’t reach a single checkpoint. Twisted Minds marched to series point with a resounding 3-1 lead.

Map 5: Runasapi (Al Qadsiah pick), Al Qadsiah ban Brigitte, Twisted Minds ban Road Hog

With everything on the line, both teams returned to the same mirror they had grown increasingly familiar with. This time, Quartz took the Sojourn duel directly against LBBD7.

The opening fight was chaotic and costly, but Twisted Minds came out ahead by investing both DPS ults and Kitsune Rush to secure space for the bot. Qadsiah struck back with a clean two-support-ult fight win, even grabbed the checkpoint as a follow-up. For a moment, there was hope.

Then Twisted Minds extinguished it.

Once Twisted Minds regrouped, their march became unstoppable. They controlled every angle, every off-angle, every rotation. The bot never stopped moving. Qadsiah were pushed back step after step until the final fight sealed their fate. Twisted Minds crossed the finish line, claiming the map, the series, and the world championship title.

The emotions on stage spoke louder than any scoreboard ever could. Tournament MVP Quartz, whose heroics defined the team’s entire run through the brackets, reflected on the journey with quiet pride:

“It feels so nice. The team worked so hard for this moment. I’m very thankful.”

Beside him, Simple struggled to put the moment into words, the magnitude of the victory still settling in:

“It honestly just feels like a dream.”

For a team that looked so polished through the tournament, one might assume weeks of hidden prep and secret strategies. FunnyAstro laughed off the idea:

“Oh, we didn’t have anything. We made things up as we went along.”

And as Quartz accepted his MVP award, he addressed the crowd and the global audience with a final message:

“I would like to thank all the fans, all the people attending here today, even the ones watching from home. You’ve supported me incredibly—I see it all, and I appreciate it. I want to especially thank the Saudi fans for supporting me throughout my whole career. Thank you all.”

A perfect ending to a historic night: a team that worked, adapted, trusted each other, and rose above every challenge. The season ends with EMEA on top and Twisted Minds as World Champions.