The OWCS 2025 Midseason Championship is shaping up to be the biggest Overwatch 2 showdown of the year. Hosted in Riyadh under the grand umbrella of the Esports World Cup, this tournament brings together the top 16 teams from across the globe to battle for international glory. But no name is drawing more attention than Crazy Raccoon. The Korean powerhouse has been dominant, coming in as the reigning EWC 2024 champion and fresh off a massive win at the Champions Clash. Yet even with their reputation for comeback stories and high-pressure performances, this year’s championship feels different. The playing field is tighter, the challengers are sharper, and the margin for error is virtually zero.
Crazy Raccoon enters as the team to beat, and they’ve earned that status through a near-perfect run in OWCS Korea Stage 2. With a 7-1 regular season record, they looked untouchable. But cracks briefly showed during the Playoffs Seeding Decider, where they lost every single match. Many fans began to doubt their championship form. However, that doubt didn’t last long. The team bounced back in true style, storming through the playoffs with wins over Team Falcons, All Gamers Global, and T1. By the time they lifted the trophy at the Champions Clash in Hangzhou, the message was clear Crazy Raccoon was still the world’s best Overwatch 2 roster.
That said, they are not invincible. They were knocked into the lower bracket by NTMR and had to fight their way back into the Grand Finals. Even in their final 4-2 win over Team Falcons, moments of vulnerability surfaced. That opens the door for fresh narratives at the Midseason Championship. Could this finally be the tournament where a new name claims the crown?
Several teams have stepped up in recent months and could be real threats. Geekay Esports stunned the OWCS NA Stage 2 circuit, completing a perfect 7-0 run and defeating Team Liquid to take the title. Their revamped roster seems to have clicked instantly, bringing aggressive teamfights and clean coordination to every map. Meanwhile, EMEA has its own rising titan in Al Qadisah, who also went 7-0 in their regular season and handled playoff pressure with poise, knocking out squads like The Ultimates and Twisted Minds. If momentum matters, these two teams have plenty of it.
Team Falcons, though, is perhaps the most fascinating wildcard. They finished third at EWC 2024 and were runners-up at the recent Champions Clash. But their Midseason journey hit a wall in Korea Stage 2. After a hard-fought 2-4 loss to Crazy Raccoon in the Regional Playoffs Quarterfinals, their qualification chances now hinge on surviving the Last Chance Qualifier. For a team this experienced and globally respected, missing the Midseason Championship would be a major upset but their route in is anything but guaranteed.
Beyond team storylines, OWCS Season 17 is also shaping how this championship might play out. Meta shifts have been minimal, with key characters like Lucio, Kiriko, and Tracer still dominating most compositions. The newly introduced Freja has become a go-to Damage pick due to her powerful burst output, and her presence could influence key matches at the tournament. Ramattra is another consistent force, especially on tight maps where his Nemesis Form can stall objectives or break defenses with ease.
With teams fine-tuning their lineups and strategies, the Midseason Championship will not just be a test of skill but of adaptability. There’s every chance that a lesser-picked hero or an underdog strategy could swing a close map or even a series. That is what makes this championship feel so volatile and so exciting. With a $1 million prize pool and major EWC Club Points on the line, every fight matters, every mistake is magnified, and every storyline is up for grabs.
Will Crazy Raccoon write another chapter in their dominance or will a new team rise to steal the crown? The stage is set, the stakes are sky-high, and the world will be watching.
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