GamerLegion, G2 Esports, Team Falcons and FaZe Clan were the first four teams to advance out of the group stage in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition at the Esports World Cup on Thursday in Paris.
Those four teams won their Group A and Group B upper-bracket semifinals to ensure their places in the 16-team playoff field at the $2 million World Cup event.
The event features 32 teams divided into four groups in the double-elimination opening stage. All opening matches consisted of a single map, while the remaining group-stage matches will be best-of-three.
The top four teams in each group will move on to the single-elimination playoffs. Playoff matches will be best-of-three until the grand final on Aug. 22, which will be best-of-five.
The championship team will receive $600,000 and 1,000 Esports World Cup club points. The runner-up will get $340,000 and 750 points.
On Thursday, GamerLegion steamrolled JiJieHao 2-0 in Group A, winning 13-3 on Dust II and 13-8 on Ancient. Russia’s Timur “FL4MUS” Marev had a match-high 39 kills for GamerLegion, while Danish teammate Sebastian “Tauson” Tauson Lindelof added 30 kills on a plus-15 K-D differential.
G2 Esports battled for a 2-1 victory over BIG, sandwiching a 13-5 win on Cache and a 13-1 runaway win on Inferno around a 16-13 overtime loss on Ancient. Guy “NertZ” Iluz of Israel led G2 with 57 kills on a plus-21 differential.
In Group B, Falcons swept Astralis 13-7 on Ancient and 13-11 on Dust II. Bosnian star Nikola “NiKo” Kovac posted 41 kills for Falcons to lead all players.
FaZe had the same results against Legacy, prevailing 13-6 on Cache and 13-8 on Mirage. Canadian Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken paced FaZe with 36 kills and only half as many deaths.
Thursday also saw the first two eliminations of the tournament as lower-bracket play got underway in Group A. Team Spirit survived, beating Luminosity Gaming 13-3 on Ancient and 19-15 in overtime on Dust II. Aurora Gaming knocked out M80, 13-9 on Dust II and 13-9 again on Inferno.
The teams that lost in the upper-bracket semifinals are still alive but fell into lower-bracket semis, with those matches taking place Saturday and Sunday.
The tournament continues Friday with six matches:
–K27 vs. MIBR (Group B lower-bracket quarterfinals)
–BetBoom Team vs. Ninjas in Pyjamas (Group B lower-bracket quarterfinals)
–Team Vitality vs. B8 (Group C upper-bracket semifinals)
–FUT Esports vs. MOUZ (Group C upper-bracket semifinals)
–100 Thieves vs. PARIVISION (Group C lower-bracket quarterfinals)
–TYLOO vs. Lynn Vision Gaming (Group C lower-bracket quarterfinals)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive — Esports World Cup prize pool (with money winnings and Esports World Cup club points)
1. $600,000, 1,000 points
2. $340,000, 750 points
3. $190,000, 500 points
4. $110,000, 300 points
5-8. $60,000, 200 points
9-16. $35,000, no points
17-24. $20,000, no points
25-32. $10,000, no points — Luminosity Gaming, M80, six teams TBD
–Field Level Media
