DUBAI: Japan’s Zeta Division have won the Overwatch Champions Series Midseason Championship at the Esports World Cup 2026, taking down Saudi Arabia’s Twisted Minds 4-2 in a highly contested best-of-seven.
The win marks the first time the Japanese club have won a major international OWCS tournament. But for one of its members, Kim “Proper” Dong-hyun, it is his second EWC victory.
Proper’s second Overwatch trophy at the EWC follows his first-place finish with Team Falcons last year, which also saw him named MVP of the tournament.
After swapping teams during the off season, Proper is now one of the most decorated players in this era of Overwatch, helping to usher Zeta Division into their first major international trophy.
Proper came into this tournament as one of the top players, especially following his performance with Team Falcons last year, and the entire South Korean roster did not disappoint.
With a dominant display throughout the entirety of the Midseason Championship, dropping just one map to Geekay Esports on their way to the grand final, Zeta Division have been a formidable force.
In the final against Twisted Minds and their primarily Saudi Arabian roster, Zeta Division were pushed to the limit. The two teams were neck and neck throughout the series, with both winning their respective map picks over the first four games.
After Zeta Division claimed game five, the final blow came in game six, with Zeta Division dominating Twisted Minds on their Eichenwald map pick, closing out the series.
Speaking on the win, Shin “Bernar” Se-won said: “It’s a surreal feeling, it’s almost the first time that I’ve been lifting this trophy at an international LAN. I have great teammates, and I played a lot better this time. This is why I play as a pro, this is why I compete, this is how I’m feeling right now.
Former Overwatch League champion Park “Viol2t” Min-ki has had a large gap between trophies, but has now lifted one with Zeta Division in this new era of OWCS.
“Honestly, seeing this roster coming together this year, I felt that this is strong. This is what I experienced in 2019, or even stronger than that. If I get to do my part, then we’ll definitely get to lift the trophy,” he said.
Zeta Division’s Kim “shu” Jin-seo was named the SONY MVP for his outstanding performance throughout the tournament, and he pockets an extra $25,000.
After receiving his MVP award, shu said: “Honestly, I just want to thank our CEO, our manager PangTong for believing in me, and (coach) Crusty for supporting our team. It’s thanks to all of them that I could stand here now.”
For their win, Zeta Division walked away with a $400,000 share of the prize pool, and 1,000 Club Championship points. The club now looks to Fortnite as their remaining game to determine their final placement in the Club Championship standings, as they currently sit in eighth.
For Twisted Minds, their second-place finish sees them take home $180,000, and a crucial 750 Club Championship points to move into ninth.
Ahead of the Grand Finals, the fight for third place saw South Korea’s T1 take on China’s Weibo Gaming. For T1, it was a chance to beat last year’s fourth-place result.
Fueled by their loss to Zeta Division in the semifinals, T1 ended the series with a 3-0 sweep, walking away with a $100,000 share of the prize pool and 500 club points.
