Call of Duty BO6 at EWC 25 Champions: OpTic Gaming Dominates
Jul 27, 2025.
OpTic Gaming emerged victorious in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at the Esports World Cup 2025, surviving a thrilling semi-final by reverse sweeping Team Heretics on the way to a convincing 4-0 final victory over the Vancouver Surge. Congratulations to OpTic Gaming on etching their name into Esports World Cup history.
Back from the brink
After dominating their group and defeating 100 Thieves 3-1 in the quarterfinals, OpTic Gaming faced their toughest test yet in the semifinals against Team Heretics. The Spanish squad came out swinging, edging out the first two maps by the narrowest of margins and going up 2–0 in the best-of-five series.
OpTic, showing impressive resilience, mounted a breathtaking reverse sweep. Their comeback started with a close Control win on Hacienda, followed by more convincing Hardpoint and Search and Destroy victories on Rewind and Protocol to win 3-2 and book their place in the grand final. Brandon "Dashy" Otell and his squad rose from their chairs as if OpTic's eventual win had never been in doubt.
A surprising grand final shutout
After the third five-game series of the day, it was time for the championship showdown between OpTic Gaming and the Vancouver Surge, who had eked out a narrow 3-2 semifinal win over KOI earlier on. With all previous games on finals day going the distance, everyone was expecting another tight grand final, but OpTic had other plans. The four-man squad came out swinging and never let up, delivering a dominant 4-0 sweep to claim the CoD: BO6 at EWC 25 title in ruthless fashion.
The series opened with a statement win in Hardpoint on Rewind, followed by a clinical Search & Destroy on Protocol, where OpTic’s coordination overwhelmed Surge’s setups. A rock-solid Control on Protocol put them up 3-0, and they sealed the championship with a convincing Hardpoint victory on Hacienda, leaving no doubt about who the best team in the world was on the biggest stage of the year.
In a tournament full of close calls, OpTic Gaming proved that, as the tournament motto says, nothing is granted, everything is earned. The team, who also won the most recent major Call of Duty tournament, take their key home in one piece as part of their championship trophy. Green Wall also lay claim to the $600,000 first prize and get to add their name to this year’s Totem of Champions.
SONY MVP
A longtime cornerstone of the team, Anthony "Shotzzy" Cuevas-Castro was awarded the Sony MVP following another standout performance during CoD: BO6 at EWC 25. After presenting the award, stage host Ian Chamberlain asked Shotzzy whether he now considered himself in the conversation for the greatest of all time in professional Call of Duty.
“I don’t tell people what I am," Shotzzy said. "They tell me.”
Heretics fall twice
Before the main event, fans were treated to another thriller in the third-place decider between KOI and Team Heretics. The showdown went the full five games, with both teams refusing to back down. After splitting the opening four maps, the match came down to a dramatic Game 5 Search & Destroy on Hacienda, ending 6-5 in KOI’s favor.
With hundreds of matches set to take place over the next few days, new legends will rise as champions are crowned and rivals are toppled. Watch the Esports World Cup 2025 live or check out the ticket options to watch in-person this week
