Intro
The OWCS Midseason Championship is July 31 - August 3! Get ready for an epic showdown as the best Overwatch teams from around the world face off in some of OWCS’s biggest match-ups yet. Catch up on all the action so far and get to know the teams competing for glory.
We also have some of the best viewer incentives ever available for this event — including loot boxes and 6 unique OWCS skins available on the final day. Don’t miss your chance to earn exclusive rewards!
Read on to learn more about:
- Event Overview: OWCS 2025 Midseason Championship
- Viewership Incentives & Co-Streaming
- Where to Watch
- Talent
- Tickets & Event Incentives
- 2025 Season Recap
- Participating Teams
Event Overview: OWCS 2025 Midseason Championship
Event Overview: 2025 Mideason Championship Last Chance Qualifier: July 16 to 17
The Midseason Championship Last Chance Qualifier starts July 16 at 2pm AST/July 17 at 4am PT on [platforms per language, if applicable]. The LCQ is the final opportunity for teams that didn’t directly qualify for the Midseason Championship through their Regional Playoffs, with up to 64 teams competing across three days of competition for the sole remaining ticket to MSC.
Event Overview: 2025 Mideason Championship: July 31 to August 3
Once our final team is qualified via the LCQ, the stage for the Midseason Championship is set! Competition begins at 6am PT/4pm AST from July 31 to August 3. Check out Where to Watch below for a list of streaming and social destinations!
MSC is split into two parts: Groups and Playoffs. The first two days of competition make up the Groups Stage, where our sixteen teams will be split into four groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs Stage, where an eight-team, single-elimination bracket will decide our Midseason Champions.
Viewership Incentives and Co-Streaming
We have some of the best viewer incentives ever available for the Midseason Championship! Tune in each day to earn the following sets of in-game rewards:
July 31 (Groups - Day 1):
- 30min: OWCS MSC Gilded Spray
- 1hr: Loot Box (1)
- 2hr: OWCS MSC Gilded Icon
- 3hr: OWCS MSC Gilded Name CardS17 Battlepass Tier Skip
- 4hr: S17 Battlepass Tier SkipOWCS MSC Gilded Name Card
- 5hr: OWCS Kiriko (Away) Skin
Aug 1 (Groups - Day 2):
- 30min: OWCS Riyadh Day Icon
- 1hr: Loot Box (1)
- 2hr: Riyadh Stamp Spray
- 3hr: OWCS Riyadh Day Name Card
- 4hr: S17 Battlepass Tier Skip
- 5hr: OWCS Genji (Away) Skin
Aug 2 (Playoffs - Day 31):
- 30min: OWCS Riyadh Sunset Icon
- 1hr: Loot Box (1)
- 2hr: Ala Tea Spray
- 3hr: OWCS Riyadh Sunset Name Card
- 4hr: S17 Battlepass Tier Skip
- 5hr: OWCS Juno (Away) Skin
Aug 3 (FinalsPlayoffs - Day 42):
- 30min: OWCS Riyadh Night Icon
- 1hr: Loot Box (1)
- 90min: Chicken Kabsa Spray
- 2hr: OWCS Riyadh 2025 - Boulevard Spray
- 2.5hr: OWCS Riyadh Night Name Card
- 3hr: S17 Battlepass Tier Skip
- 3.5hr: OWCS Kiriko (Home + Away) Skins
- 4hr: OWCS Genji (Home + Away) Skins
- 5hr: OWCS June (Home + Away) Skins
Where to Watch
As always, you can get all your Midseason Championship updates and streams from a variety of platforms! Tune in on YouTube and Twitch to earn your drops, or any of the other platforms listed below for news and updates.
Social
Streaming
FACEIT Watch
We’ve got some exciting updates to the way you watch OWCS here at the Midseason Championship! In addition to our usual streams you can also follow the action with FACEIT Watch!
FACEIT Watch allows you to follow up to four first-person POV feeds at a time, in real time. Watch your favorite players in action, keep an eye on key match-up duels, and never miss a moment! You can also clip plays and access instantly-online VODs to review each match from multiple angles with no delay.
FACEIT Watch is an evolution in the OWCS viewer experience - follow from the FACEIT app, cast to your TV with Chromecast, and enjoy the Midseason Championship in a whole new way! To learn more, just head to FACEIT.com/watch.
Talent
An event this big needs a crew to match! Introducing your main stream talent roster for the 2025 OWCS Midseason Championship:
- Hosts:
- Soe “Soembie” Gschwind
- Fancy
- Puckett
- Analysts:
- Casters:
Talent: KR
- Casters
- Jisoo “Jisoo” Sim
- Han-eol “baganeol” Park
- Commentators
Talent: JP
Tickets and Event Incentives
Secure your Tickets to the OWCS 2025 Midseason Championship right now. On top of the incredible Overwatch competition, each ticket holder will receive exclusive in-game rewards to commemorate the Midseason Championship!
Ticket holders will earn the following:
- OWCS Riyadh 2025 - Al Sadu Icon
- Greetings from Riyadh Spray
- OWCS Riyadh 2025 - Al Sadu Name Card
Stay tuned for specific details on how to receive and redeem your Attendee Rewards as we get closer to the Midseason Championship.
2025 Season Recap
2025 has been a banner year for Overwatch Champions Series! We kicked off competition in January with the Open Qualifiers to determine our first set of teams for Stage 1. As the Stage progressed, the best teams from each region punched their ticket to the first Live Event of the year, Champions Clash.
With the Regular Season & Playoffs complete, the stage was set for eight teams to battle it out at Champions Clash - NTMR and Spacestation out of North America, Virtus.pro and Al Qadsiah from EMEA, Crazy Raccoon and Team Falcons representing Asia, and finally, the hometown teams - Once Again and Team CC, hailing from our newest region, OWCS China. The three-day competition was a fierce, high-energy spectacle - and at the end of the long weekend, Crazy Raccoon held the trophy high after a hotly contested Grand Final (featuring a rare lower bracket run!)
In Stage 2, the stakes continue to rise. In NA and EMEA, two new teams joined the pack - freshly promoted from dominant FACEIT League runs. And while some returning teams from Stage 1 were challenged like never before, others built upon their success in the first phase of the year to become even more dominant.
In NA, Geekay Esports and NTMR quickly rose to the top of the leaderboard and stayed there. Team Liquid built upon their Stage 1 performance with a 5-2 record, and Spacestation also climbed into the Top 4 after a rocky start to the Stage.
In EMEA, Al Qadsiah and Twisted Minds quickly proved themselves the dominant forces in Stage 2’s meta, with Stage 1 champs Virtus.pro following close behind.
Asia’s region delivered intense, close matches and top-tier play. Reigning Pacific champs 99DIVINE fell to The Gatos Guapos, featuring veteran stars and fan favorite Kyle “Rakattack” Raskauskas. In Japan, VARREL and REJECT dominated their groups, but VARREL swept the Grand Finals to secure an MSC spot.
Korea’s Stage 2 was fast-paced and fierce. Despite adding Ham “SOMEONE” Jeong-wan and Choi “MER1T” Tae-min, reigning world champs Team Falcons missed the Top 4 and lost in the regional LCQ after upsets by Crazy Raccoon.
With T1 and All Gamers Global taking Korea’s MSC spots and Crazy Raccoon qualifying via Champions Clash, teams like Team Falcons and ZETA Division must compete in next week’s MSC Last Chance Qualifier for the final tournament spot.
In China, Champions Clash attendees Weibo Gaming and Team CC led the regular season comfortably prior to the region’s playoffs on Jun. 27. From there, things got interesting! ROC Esports swooped in against Team CC in the first round to knock them into the Lower Bracket. Team CC had to stage a run all the way back to Lower Finals, and managed to beat ROC in their rematch - but in the end, couldn’t stand against the force of nature that is WBG. The three teams will each come into the Midseason Championship sharpened by years of combined skill, and a contentious Stage 2 bracket…
Participating Teams
Sixteen teams across each OWCS region have made their journey to the Midseason Championship, and each is vying for the title. Let’s get to know each one a little better!
North America
Geekay Esports
Geekay returns with the same core roster, with the exception of Zeruhh, who joined Team Liquid between stages. Despite the change, Geekay went 7-0 in the regular season, and in the Grand Finals, where seven maps and a single OT teamfight on Oasis decided the final victors in NA!
Team Liquid
While they narrowly missed out on Live Event contention last Stage, the storied TL roster was determined to make it out to the Midseason Championship. Their only post-season losses have been to GeekayThis veteran roster is only going up from here - and they’ll need to keep that trend going when facing off against all the talent participating at MSC.
NTMR
NTMR is an org that never seems to call it quits. When Geekay acquired their roste, they acquired Stage 1’s fifth-seeded Rad Esports roster - and turned them into a Top 3 competitor within the space of a few short weeks. In the post-season, they led a valiant charge up into third place, triumphing over Spacestation for the region’s last MSC spot.
EMEA
Al Qadsiah
Al Qadsiah ended Stage 1 as the region’s second fiddle, behind a seemingly flawless Virtus.pro - but in Stage 2, this team took center stage with a dominant showing against EMEA’s best. While Twisted Minds were able to play them close in EMEA’s Stage 2 Grand Final, few other teams could hold a candle to their star-studded roster going into the post-season.
Twisted Minds
One of EMEA’s most storied orgs, Twisted Minds leveled up between Stages 1 and 2, riding a favorable meta to a 6-1 record. They cruised through playoffs until Al Qadsiah sent them to the lower bracket and ultimately out of the Grand Final. Still, this is a team you can never count out, known for clutch moments and 6-map thrillers.
Asia
Crazy Raccoon
As our Stage 1 victors, Crazy Raccoon auto-qualified to the Midseason Championship - but that doesn’t mean they didn’t give us a show across all of Stage 2. With the team seemingly back to its dominant ways, fans around the world are looking to Crazy Raccoon as THE most powerful squad at the Midseason Championship.
T1
T1 have taken ample advantage of the sudden (relative) weaknesses shown by Korea’s two perennial frontrunners, and have converted that opportunity into a comfortably assured spot at the Midseason Championship. While they weren’t quite able to topple Crazy Raccoon in the region’s Grand Final, they’re back to make a run at the trophy again.
All Gamers Global
All Gamers Global (formerly WAY) made a strong Stage 2 debut with standout performances. Freja’s addition and recent meta shifts have played to their strengths — now it’s time to see how far they can go on the international stage.
VARREL
Japan’s regional champions dominated Stage 2 with a flawless run and a 4-0 Grand Final win to claim their spot at Midseason. With World Cup veterans and new Korean additions Topdragon and Sley, they look stronger than ever. The only question is how they’ll stack up on the global stage in 2025.
The Gatos Guapos
TGG is composed of some of Australia’s best known and most veteran players… and Rakattack, who’s brought his signature brand of Main Support capability to a region where you’d rarely find a kid from the States. After beating 99DIVINE in a region where they’ve otherwise reigned supreme, it’s time to see just how far the gang can run when they hit the international stage!
China
Weibo Gaming
Known as Once Again when they made their Champions Clash run, Weibo Gaming have continued their tenure as China’s most dominant Overwatch team. Composed of storied veterans like Xu “Guxue” Qiulin, Zheng “shy” Yangjie, and Huang “Leave” Xin, WBG are looking to build upon their 4th-place finish on home soil with a strong performance at MSC.
Team CC
China’s second seed returns to international play after a tough exit at Champions Clash. Team CC bounced back with a strong Stage 2, capping it off with a lower bracket run and a clutch win over ROC Esports to claim their spot at Midseason.
ROC Esports
Like WBG and Team CC, ROC Esports is a team packed with prolific names, from DPS stars Lu "Diya" Weida and Yi “JinMu” Hu to the long-standing backline duo of He “Molly” Chengzhi and Chen “Lengsa” Jingyi. A third place finish kept them just out of Champions Clash contention last Stage, but the same placement in Stage 2 is good enough to send the team to Riyadh - and they’re coming in with a point to prove after losing their lower bracket rematch against Team CC.
Conclusion
The 2025 OWCS Midseason Championship is fast approaching, and we can’t wait to see the competition!
We’ve got some exciting new loot on the way to commemorate the first Midseason Championship - keep an eye out for updates on the Midseason Championship Bundle, as well as your first look on Partner Team cosmetics!
To stay up to date on MSC and all the latest Overwatch Esports news, be sure to follow us on all our social and streaming platforms listed above in “Where to Watch.” We’ll see you there!
