Challengers EMEA is finally here, and the Open Qualifiers have been done and dusted. The tournament has kicked off with a bang, with twelve of EMEA's best suited up and ready to compete for a position at Masters.
Highlights
- Wins for Fnatic, Acend and Gambit
Behemoths such as G2 and Team Liquid have been defeated in recent days, but VCT Champions 2021, Acend, have gone on to dominate in great shape.
Gambit overpowers Team Liquid in Group A.
The duel between Gambit and Team Liquid, two famous orgs whose Masters-born rivalry continues to escalate, was one of Week 1's most anticipated games. Despite a tight series, the Russian organisation defeated one of Europe's best in a series that spanned Breeze to Icebox, adding gasoline to this simmering war of wits.
Another Russian club: NAVI, closed off Group A by asserting their supremacy. It was a terrific performance by the CIS team as they defeated Europe's final qualifiers and the organisation that knocked EXCEL out of the race, LDN UTD.
Acend then returned to the VCT stage, this time against Turkish powerhouse SuperMassive Blaze. While the first map put the defending Champions to the test, Acend won the series 2-0 with a one-sided encounter on Bind.
Week 1 ended with BBL vs Guild Esports, where the UK squad put up a rather strong performance on Breeze and Haven, while tragedy struck once more for EMEA's Turkish representatives.
Group Stage Results
| # | Group A Teams | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Natus Vincere | 1-0 |
| 2. | Gambit Esports | 1-0 |
| 3. | FunPlus Phoenix | 1-0 |
| 4. | BIG | 0-1 |
| 5. | Team Liquid | 0-1 |
| 6. | LDN UTD | 0-1 |
| # | Group B Teams | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Acend | 1-0 |
| 1. | Guild Esports | 1-0 |
| 3. | Fnatic | 1-0 |
| 4. | G2 Esports | 0-1 |
| 5. | BBL Esports | 0-1 |
| 5. | SuperMassive Blaze | 0-1 |
Week 2 match schedule and betting odds
February 18
- FunPlus Phoenix vs. Gambit Esports (February 18, 2022 - 18:00 UTC+3) 2.60 vs. 1.42
- Guild Esports vs. Acend (February 18, 2022 - 21:00 UTC+3) 2.90 vs. 1.35
February 19
- LDN UTD vs. BIG (February 19, 2022 - 18:00 UTC+3) 2.60 vs. 1.42
- BBL Esports vs. Fnatic (February 19, 2022 - 21:00 UTC+3) 3.20 vs. 1.30
February 20
- G2 Esports vs. SuperMassive Blaze (February 20, 2022 - 18:00 UTC+3) 1.45 vs. 2.50
- Natus Vincere vs. Team Liquid (February 20, 2022 - 21:00 UTC+3) 4.00 vs. 1.20
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