📝 Unfinished Business: Al Qadsiah 2025 World Finals Preview

Al Qadsiah’s journey to Stockholm has been nothing short of extraordinary. The Esports World Cup 2025 finalists began their Stage 3 campaign with the same confidence that defined their historic run earlier this year. Their performance at EWC was one for the ages, where they defeated their regional rivals and went on to finish second overall, only falling to Team Falcons in a crushing grand final sweep. Despite the heartbreak, the silver finish cemented Al Qadsiah as one of the world’s elite rosters and set the tone for their Overwatch Champions Series Stage 3 run.

Al Qadsiah celebrate their win over Virtus.pro at EWC 2025. — AL Qadsiah at EWC 2025. Image by Esports World Cup.

Stage 3 began right where EWC left off. Al Qadsiah marched through the regular season without missing a beat as they swept aside every opponent in their path. Their only loss came at the very end, in the OWCS Stage 3 grand finals against Twisted Minds, the same rival they had bested twice earlier in the season. It was a painful reminder that even the most dominant teams can falter when the stakes are highest, but it did little to tarnish what was otherwise a commanding display throughout the stage.

Strategically, Al Qadsiah have created a distinct identity for themselves. They remain the masters of the Symmetra compositions, which others have slowly abandoned after the removal of the Advanced Teleportation perk. Yet, with Baek “Checkmate” Seung-hun in the roster, they continue to weaponise her utility in ways no other team can. Their frontline anchor is ZIYAD, one of the brightest young tank prospects in competitive Overwatch, whose D.Va is devastatingly good. He complements that with strong performances on Hazard and Zarya, making him a constant threat regardless of matchups.

Ziyad celebrating their win against rivals Twisted Minds at EWC 2025. — ZIYAD shares his victory with the fans at EWC 2025. Image by Esports World Cup.

On DPS, besides Checkmate, Abdulelah “LBBD7” Alfaifi, has evolved into one of the region’s leading hitscans, now rivalling Twisted Minds’ Ibrahem “Quartz” Alali as one of EMEA’s deadliest marksmen. Finally, Kristian “Kellex” Keller and Landon “Landon” McGee provide a rock-solid partnership on support. Perhaps more rigid in their hero pool than others, but unmatched in their consistency and composure in the long game.

Kellex and Landon after their win against Team CC at EWC 2025. — Al Qadsiah's support duo, Kellex and Landon, at EWC 2025. Image by Esports World Cup.

Al Qadsiah’s core roster has remained intact since the start of the 2025 season, with only one major addition, the veteran support Kellex, who joined before Stage 2. Under Choi “Junkbuck” Jae-won, the team’s synergy and macro-play reached new heights. The results speak for themselves: an EWC grand final appearance, three EMEA playoff finals and winning one of them, and now another deep run expected on the global stage in Stockholm.

Data is from all of Stage 3. Top 5 of each ban for and against is displayed, in the case of tied frequency the most recent data was prioritised.

Their second seed placement from EMEA sets them on a challenging path, facing North America’s #3 seed Geekay Esports first, before a potential clash with Weibo Gaming, China’s undefeated juggernaut. However, Al Qadsiah’s own support, Landon said on OWTV, “Seed two sounds easier than seed one, no? Weibo is so awful, that team is just not good at Overwatch.” Landon, relishing the prospect of facing the Chinese champions, as it seems like Al Qadsiah is kicking off Stockholm from exactly where they hoped to be.

However, Al Qadsiah’s loss to Twisted Minds in the grand final raises an important question for them to answer at Stockholm. Have Twisted Minds exposed the answer to Al Qadsiah’s Symmetra? Will other teams be able to adopt it themselves, or will Al Qadsiah adapt quickly enough to sidestep this potential barrier?