Following their qualification victories earlier this week, Team United States and Team Canada entered the North American qualifier bracket as top favorites. Both squads received byes directly to the upper-semifinals, positioning themselves to claim two of three available spots at the upcoming LAN finals.
The United States faced a tougher challenge against Mexico's Club 333 roster in a best-of-three series. Mexico opened strong on their Ancient pick, dominating with an 11-1 terrorist-side performance that led to a convincing 13-1 map victory. Team USA bounced back on Dust2, building an 8-4 halftime advantage and ultimately securing the map 13-10 despite Mexico's attempts to mount a comeback. The decisive third map was Mirage, where the Americans established control early with a 9-3 first-half lead and closed out the series 13-6.
Canada's path proved considerably smoother in their matchup against Guatemala. Joshua "steel" Nissan led his squad to a commanding performance on Nuke, racing to an 8-0 start and finishing the first half 9-3. After winning the pistol round following the side switch, Canada quickly wrapped up the map 13-3. The second map, Mirage, followed a similar pattern as Canada's superior firepower overwhelmed their opponents. A dominant 10-2 opening half set the tone, and despite Guatemala winning four consecutive rounds early in the second half, Canada closed it out 13-6.
Both nations will represent North America at the Saudi Arabian event scheduled for November. Meanwhile, Mexico and Guatemala will battle for the third and final qualification spot.
