The road from Korea to Guangzhou starts here

Patrick Handley••12 min read

Less than three weeks ago, on September 13, 2026, South Korea won the 2026 Overwatch World Cup, live in Anaheim, California. With the BlizzCon festivities behind us, these same South Korean players set their sights on OWCS Korea, and those left back home look to make their mark in Stage 3.

Eight Korean teams will battle in a round-robin, before eventually qualifying for a single-elimination playoff. The top four teams will earn a spot in OWCS Asia against the best of Japan and Pacific. That tournament - held live in Busan - will determine the teams sent to the World Finals in Guangzhou, China.

With Korea still looking to avenge their loss in the 2025 World Finals, everything will be on the line in Stage 3. Here is everything you need to know about the eight teams and fifty-nine players entering the battlefield.

ZETA DIVISION

ZETA DIVISION Roster:

  • Tank: Shin “Bernar” Se-won
  • Tank: Lee “Mealgaru” Jeong-hwan
  • DPS: Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun
  • DPS: Lee “knife” Seon-woo
  • Support: Kim “shu” Jin-seo
  • Support: Park “Viol2t” Min-ki
  • Head Coach: Park "Crusty" Dae-hee
  • Assistant Coach: Lee "Twilight" Joo-seok

As the reigning champions at the OWCS Midseason Championship in Paris, France, ZETA DIVISION have monolithic expectations. With none of their players chosen to represent South Korea in the World Cup, they’ve had ample time to relax, try new compositions, and watch the meta evolve. 

One change occurred between stages: Kim "GgulTaek" Jeong-youn left in mid-August, citing health concerns that arose before he joined the team at the start of the year. That said, Crusty and Twilight have led this roster together since mid-Stage 1, and there is little doubt they will continue to polish it to its prime. 

ZETA DIVISION is an easy lock for OWCS Asia, and watching them compete against the best rosters in Korea will be a sight for sore eyes after leaving our screen for two months. Look forward to watching a great display of showmanship whenever this roster takes the stage.

Crazy Raccoon

Crazy Raccoon Roster:

  • Tank: Park "JunBin" Jun-bin
  • Tank: Choi "MAX" Su-min
  • DPS: Jeong “STALK3R” Hak-yong
  • DPS: Chae "HeeSang" Hee-sang
  • DPS: Lee "LIP" Jae-won
  • Support: Sung "CH0R0NG" Yoo-min
  • Support: Kim "vigilante" Joon
  • Assistant Coach: Son "Kong" Jun-young
  • Assistant Coach: Kim "Izayaki" Min-chul

Here come the Overwatch World Cup champions alongside LIP and vigilante! After a dominant performance in Busan and Anaheim, the South Korean team returns to OWCS, looking to salvage their poor finish in Paris. JunBin and MAX are the only players in OWCS Korea with experience playing D.Mon at a LAN tournament, and that experience could prove to be a crucial advantage. 

Despite the hype, one major change should not be overlooked: the exclusion of former Head Coach Moon "Moon" Byung-chul. Moon is still employed by Crazy Raccoon, but he announced on Twitter in early September that he has decided “not to participate in this Stage 3 and to take a short break to regroup and recharge.” 

It is unclear if Moon will return for OWCS Asia and/or the World Finals in Guangzhou, China, but for now, Crazy Raccoon are in the hands of Kong and Izayaki. Similar to ZETA’s coaching changes, there is little doubt that Crazy Raccoon will perform, and this coaching change will likely have little impact on their regional performance. Regardless of who is behind the curtain, the players on stage are the same as the previous stages in 2026, and they will be held to the same standard of play they showcased in the LAN events throughout this year. 

T1

T1 Roster:

  • Tank: Kim "DONGHAK" Min-sung
  • Tank: Jeong "Jasm1ne" Jong-min
  • DPS: Hong "Proud" Suk-jin
  • DPS: Kim "ZEST" Hyun-woo
  • Support: Kim "skewed" Min-seok
  • Support: Kim "Bliss" So-myung
  • Head Coach: Yun "RUSH" Hee-won
  • Assistant Coach: Kim "Fleta" Byung-sun
  • Assistant Coach: Kim "GgulTaek" Jeong-youn

T1 hit their peak during the Midseason Championship, as their third-place finish is the best this organization has ever had in Tier-1 international play. Heading into Stage 3, T1 looks to capitalize on that showing and prove that they can challenge the likes of ZETA DIVISION and Crazy Raccoon. 

Similar to ZETA and CR, T1 has kept their roster fully intact, with their only change being the addition of an assistant coach. In early September, T1 announced the signing of GgulTaek. This addition could help T1 strategize around ZETA, who seemed to be unbeatable - despite T1 beating them in Week 1 of Stage 2. 

With their sights set on Guangzhou, T1 will stand ready to carve up the competition - and hopefully pull off some exciting wins.

RØDE ZANSIDE GAMING

RØDE ZANSIDE GAMING Roster:

  • Tank: Cho "HEISER" Yu-hyun - Tank
  • Tank: Lee "HEESUNG" Hee-sung
  • DPS: Kim "Becky" Il-ha
  • DPS: Jung “Kilo” Jin-woo - DPS
  • DPS: Yoo "Taejong" Tae-jong
  • Support: Kim “iRONY” Baek-kang 
  • Support: An “OPENER” Gi-beom
  • Head Coach: Park “KariV” Young-seo - Head coach
  • Assistant Coach: Chon “Ado” Gi-hyeon - Coach
  • Assistant Coach: Choi "Mircalla" Hyeon-seo

ROZE ended their OWCS Korea Stage 2 strong, upsetting Team Falcons and finishing in a solid fourth place. However, they missed out on the Midseason Championship in Paris, France, and have spent the stage break tweaking their roster to give themselves the best chance at playing in Guangzhou. 

Their damage core was the first to change, with Jung "Probe" Jun-young leaving the roster nearly immediately after Stage 2 ended. With him ending up on Lazuli in Japan, they won't have to fear the young hitscan until a potential OWCS Asia showdown. To fill the probe-sized hole in ROZE’s core, they added Taejong, pulling him out of Al Qadsiah as the roster collapsed in EMEA.  This will be Taejong’s first time playing in Korea since his days on Old Ocean in 2024 Stage 2.The other position that saw changes was Tank, with Kang "Void" Jun-woo returning to the void (unsigned as of writing). HEISER also flirted with leaving, posting a LFT (Looking for Team) post in early August, but chose to stay. HEISER was a breakout talent, helping ROZE play to their potential after a rough start to the stage, and he hopes to continue that momentum into Stage 3. ROZE wasn't finished, as they added HEESUNG to the roster, picking him up from ENTER FORCE.36, Japan’s third-place finisher. This position has levelled up, and regardless of who gets the starting spot, ROZE looks better off for it.

Just like every other team so far, ROZE made some minor coaching changes during the break. Two former OWL legends, Kim “Ir1s” Seung-hyun and Kim "Haksal" Hyo-jong, both left the team. Haksal, who was technically a player-coach, has yet to find a new roster, but Ir1s has found a spot in China, playing for OU Gaming - his first time on a roster since playing for Al Qadsiah in 2024. To help rebuild the coaching staff, Mircalla was brought in from Cheeseburger and could offer some interesting insight to this core. 

Team Falcons

Team Falcons Roster:

  • Tank: Choi “Hanbin” Han-been
  • Tank: Ham “SOMEONE” Jeong-wan
  • DPS: Baek “Checkmate” Seung-hun
  • DPS: An “SP1NT” Woo-jin
  • DPS: Choi “MER1T” Tae-min
  • Support: Kwon “Fielder” Joon
  • Support: Han “ChiYo” Hyeon-seok
  • Head Coach: Kim “NineK” Bum-hoon
  • Assistant Coach: Kim “SP9RK1E” Yeong-han
  • Assistant Coach: Choi “Junkbuck” Jae-won

Team Falcons are coming off of one of their most disappointing stages of their otherwise lustrous OWCS tenure. They finished in a lackluster 5th place in OWCS Korea, qualifying for the Midseason Championship only due to the newly minted “Title Defender Rule,” which granted winners of the 2025 EWC automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament. Part of that poor performance could be attributed to MER1T suffering a critical hand injury, forcing Checkmate and SP1NT to carry the load during his absence. Even after his recovery, Team Falcons still looked underwhelming, with a struggling showcase in the Midseason Championship. Falcons got eliminated in the group stage, finishing 9-12th after losing to Weibo Gaming and T1. 

Coming into Stage 3, Team Falcons have made no changes. This makes them the only team in OWCS Korea to make no changes during the break. With the competition only getting closer, it seems entirely possible that Team Falcons could miss out on LAN qualification, with the top four spots going to OWCS Asia. Their lack of changes may be perplexing, but they also have the potential to play incredibly well, and only time will tell how they handle Stage 3 of OWCS Korea.

O2 Blast

O2 Blast Roster:

  • Tank: Koo "Fate" Pan-seung
  • Tank: Kim "homerunball" Jae-woo
  • Damage: Han "A1IEN" Yu-bin
  • Damage: Kim "Perr" Dam-I
  • Damage: Lim "WuTian" Jae-won
  • Support: Kim "Faith" Hong-gyu
  • Support: Lee "Gamjung" Jeong-min
  • Head Coach: Jin "O2Boss" Suk-hoon
  • Assistant Coach: Park "Chilhwa" Min-hyung
  • Assistant Coach: Seo "Myunb0ng" Sang-min
  • Assistant Coach: Kwon "Cane" Dong-hyun

O2 Blast returned to the Tier-1 scene in Stage 2, putting together a solid 4-4 performance in the regular season before being upset by ROZE in the Last Chance Qualifier, pitting them against ZETA DIVISION for a 5th-6th place finish. Despite the relatively low finish, they still looked great for a team that came in from Open Qualifiers and secured a spot in Stage 3. Coming into a new Stage, O2 looks to keep the same core, with a few new additions. Starting with their departures, Choi "Misin" Hyun-geun posted an LFT (looking for team) post in early July and eventually joined Chinese team Solus Victorem. His departure is unsurprising in hindsight, as Gamjung took the starting flex support role from him in the final week of the regular season. The only other player leaving was SeungAn, who resurfaced in China on HUNENG Gaming. He and Fate split tank playtime (Fate played 19 maps while SeungAn played 20).

To round up the roster, O2 Blast added two players. The first is homerunball, who looks to take the starting tank position. O2 used Fate as a Wrecking Ball and Mauga two-trick, and homerunball has those heroes strongly in his wheelhouse. Despite the name, he has surprising flexibility off the hamster as well, and his flexibility has secured tough wins for Please Not Hero Ban in Japan. Their other addition, A1IEN, is returning to OWCS Korea after playing Stage 2 on Four Angry Men in China. It is unclear who will be starting on hitscan, as Perr played really well during his time on the stage, although A1IEN has far more experience and higher peaks.

Notably, flex DPS WuTian and flex support Gamjung are two players who have only ever existed in the O2 Blast system. This organization, and O2 Boss in particular, were notorious for finding talent and turning them into the best players in the world. These two continue that tradition, and with O2 Blast investing in scouting and youth, hopefully more new talent can emerge from Korea.

Cheeseburger

Cheeseburger Roster:

  • Tank: Hwang "Belosrea" Gyu-tae
  • Damage: Choi "K4ne" Ju-hyung
  • Damage: Park "Profit" Joon-yeong
  • Damage: Jang "AZENT" Hyeon-ik
  • Support: Heo "TenTen" Ye-jun
  • Support: Trest
  • Head Coach: Jeong "Krillin" Young-hoon

For a more in-depth look at Cheeseburger’s new roster, check out the original coverage of Cheeseburger’s roster announcement. 

After finishing Stage 2 in seventh place, Cheeseburger made swift changes, parted ways with nearly everyone, keeping only support player Heo "TenTen" Ye-jun. To pair alongside him, Cheeseburger added the mysterious “Trest”. Trest is a newcomer to Overwatch Esports, having no confirmed appearances in previous competitions.

On tank, Cheeseburger pulled Hwang "Belosrea" Gyu-tae out of China. He had a limited role on JD Gaming in Stage 2, with the meta shifting towards off-tanks, and hopefully his appearance on Cheeseburger will be a return to form for the veteran tank.

Cheeseburger’s DPS line is very exciting, with the return of Profit. This will be Profit’s first team since leaving in 2024 for “personal reasons,” likely South Korea’s mandatory military service. Profit was Overwatch League’s first-ever Grand Finals MVP, playing originally for the London Spitfire before moving to the Seoul Dynasty in 2020. 

The DPS alongside him, K4ne and AZENT, have spent the past few years in OWCS bouncing around the lower-tier teams, having played with MIR Gaming, O2 Blast, Poker Face, and SuperBad. They have experience together and may take the stage as Profit readjusts to the highest echelon of play.  

Finally, Krillin -  the former Overwatch League flex-support - marks his first official position in OWCS and his debut as a coach. He previously played with Belosrea and Profit on the Seoul Dynasty, and hopefully that familiarity can help propel them to success in Stage 3.

Poker Face

Poker Face Roster:

  • Tank: Shin "SoLA" Eon-woo
  • Tank: Yoo "SWOO" Ju-ho
  • Damage: Park "F1nally" Min-jae
  • Damage: Lee "SORI" Jin-uk
  • Support: Hwang "Dumbbell" Tae-san
  • Support: Kwon "Caffeine" Ye-jun
  • Support: Lee "Soae" Chae-woo
  • Coach: Ahn "SEON" Seon-bin
  • Coach: Kim "Mandu" Chan-hee

This team was not originally Poker Face. This team - originally composed of the SuperBad core - played in the Open Qualifiers as “SHFSCDS,” and finished 1st-2nd. Poker Face then bought the roster, acquiring the spot in OWCS Korea Stage 3. Poker Face added their coaches, SEON and Mandu, to the roster, alongside their Tank, SoLA. 

DPS SORI and Supports Soae and Dumbbell were all together on SuperBad in Stage 2. The rest of this roster was a mishmash of Korean imports from OWCS Japan, Pacific, and even China. To quickly run through the list:

  • SWOO last played for HUNENG Gaming in China Stage 2, where he got full playtime and led them to a 5th-place finish.
  • SoLA, although signed by Poker Face’s original Open Qualifiers roster, last played in Stage 1 for New Era, where he failed to win any maps and the team suspended him indefinitely halfway through the season.  
  • F1nally has bounced around Open Qualifier teams in 2026, playing with O2 Academy in Korea, MDY in China, and LostNever Gaming in Japan. His last OWCS appearance was with INVADERS in Stage 3 of OWCS Pacific, where he finished 3rd-4th with a 4-3 record.
  • Caffeine is actually the odd man out, having yet to play in OWCS. He last played in 2023 for O2 Blast, before retiring for three years, likely due to South Korea’s mandatory military service.

All in all, this Poker Face team has a whole lot to prove coming into Stage 3 of OWCS. They clearly have some talent, considering they made a surprising run through the Open Qualifiers, but the question is if that talent can translate to the highest level of play. 

SEIJI ESPORTS (RTplz)

SEIJI ESPORTS (RTplz) Roster:

  • Tank: Kim "DOX" Jun-seo
  • Damage: Go "D4RT" Min-hyuk
  • Damage: Seo "M1nut2" Min-seo
  • Support: Lee "OFF" Jae-in
  • Support: Lee "Lavender" Seung-je
  • Coach: Hwang "Da1Da1Sm00th" Sung-hwan
  • Coach: Lim "SanGuiNar" Gyu-min

This team finished a respectable third place in the Open Qualifiers, originally competing under the temporary name “RTplz.” After making OWCS, SEIJI ESPORTS purchased the spot. That being said, the application to officially change the team name is still being processed, so you may see both names on broadcast this season. 

This team - similar to Poker Face - is a patchwork roster of players, with all but two having been outside of Korea for the previous stage of competition.

SEIJI ESPORTS’ most recognizable players must be its DPS core, with D4RT and M1nut2 having spent the majority of their careers playing in OWCS Korea. Most recently, the two played together in Stage 1 of this year, representing Poker Face. After finishing 8th, they split up for Stage 2, with D4RT joining HUNENG Gaming in China (5th Place) and M1nut2 joining Cheeseburger, finishing 7th. 

DOX is making his OWCS Korea debut, and has spent his entire OWCS career bouncing around teams in Japan and one stage in China (Stage 3 2025). His best performance was a 2nd-place finish in Stage 2 of 2024 with Nyam Gaming, but more recently he's finished 7th and 6th in two stages with Lazuli in 2026. His Ramattra gameplay drove his biggest successes, but his Mauga and Sigma are nothing to scoff at.

The support line blends old and new. OFF has been in professional Overwatch since 2019, playing on various Contenders teams in Pacific, China, and Korea. His peak brought him to Ultra Prime Academy - the Guangzhou Charge’s academy roster. After taking a two-year break in mid 2024, he returned to OWCS alongside Trap12 in Pacific, finishing a respectable 4th. On the other hand, Lavender is nearly brand new, playing for Team Equal in China’s first-ever OWCS stage, but otherwise being hidden away on O2 Blast’s youth roster. Maybe he can finally break out on SEIJI ESPORTS.