IntroWelcome to our OWCS Stage 4 Viewer’s Guide! NA and EMEA kick off the first broadcasts of their final stage on Saturday, September 28 at 9am PST on YouTube, X, TikTok, and Twitch. We’re here to provide you with all the info you need to know to make the final weeks of the regular season the most exciting - and accessible - Stage yet.
That’s not all, though! Approaching the end of the regular season, the time to crown our first-ever OWCS World Champions is rapidly approaching. Read on to learn more about the inaugural OWCS World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm (November 22-24) including how you can come see the action for yourself, get exclusive merch with an OWCS Add-On, earn in-game rewards for tuning in, and more!
The Stage 4 Viewer’s Guide covers the following:
Stage 3: Recap
Stage 4: Key Details
Where to Watch
Featured Co-Streamers
Prize Pool and Viewership Incentives
OWCS World Finals at DreamHack Stockholm
OWCS World Finals Format Update
Conclusion
Stage 3 was PACKED with upsets and surprises. In North America, the Toronto Defiant - the region’s perennial powerhouses - were challenged like never before, with teams like NTMR and NRG Shock rocketing out of the middle of the pack. The latter managed to reverse sweep Toronto in all-time great Upper Bracket Finals, which we insist you go back and watch if you missed it.
Ultimately, though, the Defiant could not be denied - while NTMR nearly shut the door on their Grand Finals hopes, NA’s reigning champs did what champs do, and found a way to win the unwinnable.
With only one more match left to play, the Defiant hit their stride in the Grand Finals, staging a confident 4-2 victory against NRG Shock to take their revenge - and the Stage 3 championship.
While our Top 3 have proven themselves to be a fearsome, evenly matched group, multiple up-and-comers proved themselves as teams to keep an eye on in Stage 4 as well. Coming in hot off of a 2nd place finish at Calling All Heroes Major 1 in June, Timeless Ethereal became the first Calling All Heroes team (made up entirely with members of marginalized genders) to reach Top 8 across an OWCS Stage. Timeless and Citrus NTMR (previously competing as Citrus Nation) made their return to the top cut, with TSM and - yes, this name is real - Fluffy Dreamland rounding out the top 8 in NA. Honorable mentions to Shikigami and Arizona State, who gave us some truly tremendous 5-map series as they fought through the Groups Stage.
In EMEA, the stakes were surprisingly similar - but the outcomes were far, far different. Stage 2 champions Spacestation were knocked to the Lower Bracket in a shocking performance from Virtus.pro, who defeated them again - even more dominantly - in the Lower Bracket finals! While VP had a meteoric rise, 2-time runner-ups ENCE were able to halt that momentum with a comprehensive 4-2 victory, securing the title of Stage champions for the first time this year. (Fun fact: With ENCE’s Stage 3 win, Kristian “Kellex” Keller became the first player in NA/EMEA to win a Stage title with two different teams! (Stage 1 with Twisted Minds, Stage 3 with ENCE).
While the region’s Top 4 seems to have crystallized into a terrifying quartet - ENCE, Virtus.pro, Spacestation, and Twisted Minds - there are multiple teams that intend to take serious shots up the ladder in Stage 4. Don’t just take our word for it, though - AOMA’s Killian “Avo” Rosin wants you to hear it straight from the source.
With Stage 3’s Circuit Points secured, here’s how the current leaderboard looks in both NA and EMEA. Teams will have one more chance to earn Circuit Points in Stage 4, which we’ll outline in more detail further in the blog!
With only one Stage left for teams to prove themselves before the OWCS World Finals, players from around the world are locking in as the stakes continue to rise.
Our Stage 4 Open Qualifier concluded this past Sunday, with 12 teams advancing from NA and EMEA into their respective Groups Stages alongside the top 4 teams from Stage 3. Those teams are:
NA: Toronto Defiant, NRG Shock, NTMR, and Timeless
EMEA: ENCE, Virtus.pro, Spacestation, and Twisted Minds
Groups kicks off September 27, with our first broadcast matches beginning on September 28.
The Groups Stage takes place over two weekends of competition, with the top two teams in each group advancing to their region’s Main Event, an 8-team, double-elimination Bracket.
Stage 4’s Main Event kicks off on Thursday, October 10 ending on Sunday, October 13!
As always, you can follow along with all things OWCS and OW Esports at our social media and streaming channels, linked below.
Featured Co-Streamers are members of the OW Esports community who set themselves apart with their passion and dedication to the scene. These are streamers, content creators, players, and more who always put on a show and give fans the content they crave, as well as a place to enjoy OW Esports with their peers.
At the end of every NA/EMEA OWCS broadcast, we’ll raid the Featured Co-Streamer of the day and provide them some codes for in-game rewards to give away on stream! These codes can range from OW2 premium currency to Battle Passes, skin bundles, and more.
The following Featured Co-Streamers will help us kick off Stage 4.
Week 1
Week 2
If you’re interested in earning a spot as an OWCS Featured Co-Streamer, you’re in luck - ANYONE can sign up to be a co-streamer here! OWCS Co-Streamers can stream anywhere, anytime, with no restrictions on sharing content from their streams to any platform. Assuming you're in good standing, you’re automatically approved when you apply - but you can also request to join our clean feed access list via the OWE Discord to stream matches in full with your own commentary.
We’re always looking for ways to uplift community voices via our Co-Streamer Program, so let us know on X, Instagram, and Discord if you intend to start co-streaming OWCS matches so we can give you a shout-out.
With three Stages completed, Stage 4 is where we kick things up a notch. Teams will be fighting for more Circuit Points than ever before - and more importantly, they’ll all be fighting for a chance to compete at the OWCS World Finals!
Our Stage 4 champions in NA/EMEA will be joined in Stockholm by the 2 next best teams in their respective regions by season-long Circuit Points total. Those six teams will be joined by OWCS Asia’s Stage 2 Finalists for an 8-team, double-elimination bracket, crowning our first-ever OWCS World Champions!
They’re not the only ones with something to earn, though - everyone that tunes into Stage 4 can earn a trio of in-game reward sets by connecting their Twitch or YouTube account to their Battle.net profile.
More details coming soon to OWCS social channels on what you can earn!
Speaking of key dates… We’re thrilled to announce that we’re bringing the first OWCS World Finals EVER to DreamHack Stockholm! The eight best pteams in the world will descend on Stockholmsmässan from November 22 to 24 in a double-elimination bracket for the ages - with the winners crowned as the undisputed, greatest Overwatch team in the world. Tune in on YouTube, X, or Twitch to see for yourself who takes home our first ever OWCS World Finals Champion title!
You can grab your tickets to DreamHack Stockholm TODAY - and don’t forget to grab your OWCS Add-On, too! The OWCS Add-On guarantees access to premium seating in our competition hall, with extra goodies available to Platinum and Diamond ticket holders. Exclusive in-game rewards, OWCS swag, and a Diamond-only Meet and Greet with your favorite OWCS pros… These packages are sure to fly off the (digital) shelf, so make sure you grab your Add-On package ASAP!
Sweden is DreamHack’s original home, and we are beyond excited to join the festival’s stacked lineup once again. As we wrap Stage 4 and move closer to Stockholm, we’ll share more details around what to expect in person and online! Make sure to follow OW Esports and DreamHack on X, as we’ll have no shortage of amazing surprises in store for the first-ever OWCS World Finals…
Speaking of the OWCS World Finals, we have some format updates to share.
Firstly, all Upper Bracket Quarterfinals matches will be first-to-two (FT2). All other matches remain first-to-three (FT3), with the Grand Finals being first-to-four (FT4). This change will provide main stream coverage for every match (meaning no secondary stream), giving every team the opportunity to showcase their skills on the main stage! Finally, we have a few changes to the map draft for the World Finals (and Stage 4)!
FT2: Control -> Hybrid -> Flashpoint/Clash, (TB: Escort)
Available Modes: Control / Hybrid / Flashpoint & Clash / Escort / Push
Flashpoint & Clash will share a ‘mode’ when selecting maps for the draft.
For example, if Team A chooses Flashpoint, then Team B cannot choose Clash until all other modes have been selected.
FT3 & FT4:Control -> Loser’s Pick
Available Modes: Control / Hybrid / Flashpoint & Clash / Escort / Push.
For OWCS World Finals, we would like to share how the seeds from each region will pair during the eight-team double-elimination tournament. Each region has been seeded based on prior performances during international Overwatch events across in 2024.
Seeds
1 Seed: Asia Stage 2 Champions
2 Seed: Asia Stage 2 Runners-Up
3 Seed: NA Stage 4 Champions
4 Seed: EMEA Stage 4 Champions
5 Seed: NA Circuit Points Leaders
6 Seed: EMEA Circuit Points Leaders
7 Seed: NA Circuit Points Runners-Up
8 Seed: EMEA Circuit Points Runners-Up
UB Quarters Matchups (Upper Semis will be M1 Winner vs. M2 Winner, and M3 Winner vs M4 Winner)
M1: 1 Seed v 8 Seed
M2: 4 Seed v 5 Seed
M3: 2 Seed v 7 Seed
M4: 3 Seed v 6 Seed
The final stage of our first OWCS season is about to kick off in earnest, and we’re so excited to have you cheering for our players and teams around the world. With 50% more Circuit Points from Stage 3 to Stage 4 on the line, and an automatic qualification to OWCS World Finals for our Stage 4 champions, these next few weeks will serve as the perfect - and last - opportunity to secure a spot. The stakes have never been higher, and if Stage 3 taught us anything, it’s that a spot at the top is anything but guaranteed.
We hope you’re ready to join us for our home stretch this Saturday, September 28th at 9am PST! You can find us on YouTube, X, and Twitch, where you can also follow OWCS Asia as they head towards the peak of their Stage 2 competition.
Be sure to follow us on X, Instagram, and TikTok, and join the OW Esports Discord to keep in touch and stay involved with all things Overwatch Esports. We’ve got more than a few surprises in store for you between now and the end of our inaugural season…
Strap in, heroes - the best is yet to come!!
