ZETA DIVISION Triumph To Take The OWCS Midseason Championship at Esports World Cup 2026 Trophy

PARIS, France (August 2, 2026) -- ZETA DIVISION has won the Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) Midseason Championship at Esports World Cup 2026, taking down Saudi Arabian team Twisted Minds 4-2 in a highly contested best-of-seven. The win marks the first time the Japanese Club has won a major international Overwatch tournament, but for one of its members, it's their second Esports World Cup victory.

For Kim "Proper" Dong-hyun, this marks his second Overwatch trophy at the Esports World Cup, following 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 this first major international trophy while claiming his third.

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 has been a formidable force.

In the grand 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 5, the final blow came in Game 6, 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 as the SONY MVP for his incredible performance throughout the tournament, and he walks away with an extra $25,000 for his accolade.

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. With Overwatch completed, 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 the Saudi Arabian Club 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 semi finals, T1 came into the match with Weibo Gaming determined to make the podium. A dominating performance saw the Korean team end the series in a 3-0 sweep, walking away with a $100,000 share of the prize pool and 500 Club Points.

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About The Esports World Cup

The Esports World Cup (EWC) is a premier annual sporting event and global celebration of competitive excellence and esports fandom. The competition features a unique cross-game format that pits the world's top esports Clubs against one another for the largest prize pool in esports history. Hosted in Paris, France, in the summer of 2026, the EWC will bring gaming and esports communities together again to crown the next Esports World Cup Club Champion. esportsworldcup.com

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