Dallas Fuel win Stage 1

Dallas Fuel closed out North America’s first Overwatch Champions Series stage on April 12, beating Spacestation Gaming 4-1 in the Stage 1 grand final. (esports.overwatch.com) The playoff run was clean: Dallas swept LuneX 3-0 on April 10, beat Spacestation 3-1 in the upper-bracket final on April 11, then finished the title match a day later. (esports.overwatch.com) North America’s Stage 1 ran from March 21 to April 12 with six teams, a $75,000 prize pool, a round-robin regular season, and a four-team double-elimination playoff bracket. Dallas took first place, $30,000, and a Champions Clash berth. (liquipedia.net) In the Overwatch Champions Series, regional stages are the main path into international events. Blizzard’s 2026 rules say Stage 1 playoffs in North America and Europe, the Middle East and North Africa decide each region’s Champions Clash teams. (overwatch.blizzard.com) That makes this result one of the first major checkpoints of the 2026 season, not just a weekend trophy. Blizzard’s season outline says regional playoffs award prize money and spots at the year’s international live events, including Champions Clash, the Midseason Championship, and the World Finals. (overwatch.blizzard.com) The win also lands early in Dallas Fuel’s return to the circuit. Blizzard said on January 29 that Dallas Fuel were back as a North America partner team for 2026 after the old Overwatch League structure gave way to the open-format Overwatch Champions Series. (overwatch.blizzard.com) Liquipedia lists Dallas Fuel’s return as a partner-team announcement on November 29, 2025, followed by the team’s first post-Overwatch League roster reveal on January 22, 2026. (liquipedia.net) Observers tracking the roster pointed to players including tank Kim “Kellan” Min-jae and damage player Rocco “Kronik” Iacobacci during the Stage 1 run. Liquipedia lists both as active Dallas Fuel players as of April 13. (liquipedia.net, liquipedia.net) The calendar now moves from regional play into international competition. The official schedule lists Champions Clash in May, with Stage 2 promotion and relegation immediately after. (esports.overwatch.com)