The EWC open qualifier has seen its first wave of teams punch their tickets to the playoff stage, with BC.Game and BIG leading the charge among the favorites.
BC.Game, featuring star player Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, overcame an early setback to advance. The team dropped their opening map on Nuke against BASEMENT BOYS but rallied to claim a 2-1 series victory. They followed up with a more comfortable performance against the newly-signed 1win roster.
The tournament, which brings together 64 teams competing on LAN in Paris, experienced a delayed start due to technical difficulties but has proceeded without major issues since. The next round of best-of-three matches is set to begin shortly, featuring prominent organizations like 100 Thieves and Liquid in Groups 9-16.
The stakes are significant, with four qualification spots available for the $2 million main event. Additionally, teams finishing between 5th and 16th place in the qualifier will share a $100,000 prize pool.
The day's biggest surprise came when Iberian Soul, recently released from Gentle Mates and competing under their original name again, fell to 6666 in the opening round. They'll get another opportunity on Saturday in the group's deciding match after fnatic topped their group.
Overall, the favorites have largely lived up to expectations, with eight teams now secured in the 32-team playoff bracket.
