A brief guide to OWCS Champions Clash 2025

The Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS) is heading towards the first international tournament of its 2025 season.

Here is everything you need to know about the OWCS Champions Clash 2025, taking place from April 18th-20th in Hangzhou, China.

Champions Clash follows the regional Stage 1 competitions in Overwatch 2’s tier-one esports ecosystem. Heading to the Hangzhou Esports Center, the event also marks the first global OWCS tournament since the introduction of China alongside the circuit’s other regions: Asia (Japan, Korea, Pacific), EMEA and North America.

OWCS 2025’s first global competition will feature eight teams battling through a double-elimination bracket. All matches will be using a first-to-three format, except for the first-to-two Quarterfinals and the first-to-four Grand Finals.

Champions Clash will also use a hero ban system where each team bans one hero per map for both teams. Within a series, the higher-seeded team bans first. Afterwards, the team losing the previous map gains ban priority.

On March 24th, the 12 maps were confirmed for the event’s map pool, including the game modes Control, Hybrid, Flashpoint, Push and Escort.

The eight teams qualified for the Champions Clash are comprised of two squads per OWCS region:

Fans will be looking forward to seeing rivals Team Falcons and Crazy Raccoon face again on an international stage. Both teams have been a dominating force within their region while competing for the top spots at global events.

Japanese roster Crazy Raccoon won the OWCS Major and the Esports World Cup in 2024. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian counterpart, Team Falcons, were crowned World Champions in the same year.

The first day of competition will kick off at 1 pm CST (6 am BST), with matches broadcast in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Thai. On each day, Twitch viewers may earn unique drops for watching the official Twitch broadcast or a co-stream. These include one loot box for one hour of watching per day.

Moreover, special attendee rewards will be given to those attending the Champions Clash in person.