Team Falcons and Spacestation Gaming had a great start in the first-round playoff action at the Overwatch event in the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Team Falcons managed to defeat M80 in a 4-0 sweep and secured a spot in the quarterfinal match against Virtus.pro. On the other hand, Spacestation Gaming also had a dominant performance, trouncing Gaimin Gladiators with a 4-0 sweep and earning a matchup with ZETA DIVISION.
In addition to these victories, ENCE defeated Fnatic with a 4-2 score, securing a quarterfinal spot against Crazy Raccoon. Toronto Ultra also performed well, ousting LGD.OA and moving on to meet Twisted Minds in the next round.
The tournament began with 16 teams divided into four groups for a round-robin of best-of-five matches. The top three teams in each group earned spots in the single-elimination playoffs. The winning team of the Esports World Cup will receive $400,000 and 1,000 Esports World Cup Club Championship points, while the runner-up will get $160,000 and 600 EWC Club Championship points.
Team Falcons had an impressive performance on Friday, winning their matches with scores of 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, and 2-1. South Korea’s Kwon “Fielder” Joon was selected as the match’s MVP. Spacestation Gaming also delivered a strong performance, winning their matches with scores of 2-1, 4-3, 144.86 meters to 8.57 meters, and 3-2, with Hadi “Hadi” Bleinagel of Germany earning the match MVP title.
ENCE and Toronto Ultra also showcased their skills, with ENCE winning their matches with scores of 4-2, 3-2, 3-2, and 2-1, while Toronto Ultra secured their victories with scores of 2-1, 137.84 meters to 88.33 meters, and 2-1. Kevin “kevster” Persson of ENCE and Kamden “Sugarfree” Hijada of Toronto Ultra were chosen as the match MVPs.
Looking ahead, the quarterfinal schedule for Saturday includes matchups between Crazy Raccoon and ENCE, Virtus.pro and Team Falcons, Twisted Minds and Toronto Ultra, and ZETA DIVISION and Spacestation Gaming.
Overall, the Esports World Cup prize pool offers significant monetary winnings and Esports World Cup Club Championship points to the top-performing teams, with the champion receiving $400,000 and 1,000 points. The tournament promises to continue showcasing high-level gameplay and intense competition as the teams battle it out for the prestigious title.