OWCS Opens 2026 With a 12-Team Seoul Bootcamp
Partner teams from four regions get early time on Season 1 before a three-day tournament at WDG Studio in Hongdae.
At a glance
- Teams
- 12
- Training
- February 8-15
- Tournament
- February 13-15
A first look at the Season 1 competitive build
The first OWCS Pre-Season Bootcamp brought teams to T1 Academy in Seoul for a week of structured scrims, practice, and cross-regional collaboration. The invited field received early access to Season 1's competitive build, including its five new heroes.
That made the event more than an exhibition. It was the first public opportunity to see how professional teams divided practice time across a roster that had changed all at once.
Eleven partners and one Japanese invite
The field included 11 OWCS partner teams from North America, EMEA, Korea, and China, plus Japanese invitational team VARREL. Bootcamp rosters were kept separate from official Stage 1 rosters so organizations could test lineups without locking those choices for the season.
Training ran February 8-15. The week ended with a 12-team single-elimination tournament at WDG Studio in Hongdae, broadcast in English, Korean, and Japanese.
Drops gave the preseason its own identity
The broadcast offered two reward tracks, including an Esports Loot Box, a bootcamp spray, OWCS skins, and the circuit's first in-game esports title. Co-streamers supplemented the main feeds with practice-week coverage from Seoul.
The bootcamp let OWCS begin with international comparison instead of regional speculation. It also exposed early approaches to the new heroes before Stage 1 standings were on the line.
