Esports World Cup 2024 Results: Did NAVI Get Lucky Again?
The World Championship in Riyadh has come to an end, and it’s time to sum up the event hosted by the sheikhs, boasting a $1,000,000 prize pool. The tournament wrapped up in just five days, and while such a format can be seen as less comprehensive, it did put everyone on an equal footing. The Esports World Cup was initially presented as an alternative to the Olympic Games in the esports world, and the Olympic system has always been an advocate of the “knockout” format.
Quarterfinals: The Lower Bracket Was Unlikely to Provide a Second Chance
We’ll start our recap right from the main stage, as the Opening Stage went quite predictably, with the only minor upset being Complexity’s early exit.
Regarding the surprises among the top 8 teams, anyone could beat their opponent because the level of CS is now quite evenly matched. This is likely why we see a new champion almost every tournament. The biggest shock for fans was Team Spirit’s defeat, who were considered the main favorites of this championship. Ranked No. 1 and the triumphant winners of the last tier-1 event, they lost to a fresh G2 lineup, and it was well-deserved. Everyone anticipated a grand showdown between the two best players in the world at the moment—donk and m0NESY—but the young talents failed to become the central figures. Team Spirit’s star had the worst match of his career and even took responsibility for the defeat, which is commendable for someone so young. It can’t be said that the Dragons completely failed the match; they were simply outplayed and not allowed to reach their full potential.
After an unconvincing first match, FaZe Clan could not be considered favorites against NAVI. In our prediction, we mentioned the importance of karrigan’s individual form, but the captain was the only player pulling his team forward. He ended the match with the best rating, while the consistent shooters like ropz, rain, and frozen couldn’t even achieve a positive KD. Naturally, with such play, it’s impossible to count on victory, and FaZe Clan deservedly went home. It seems FaZe Clan is finished, and we are unlikely to see them among the favorites at upcoming events.
Vitality and Virtus.pro delivered the most intense map of this tournament, playing a whopping 42 rounds on Mirage. There were numerous mistakes from both sides, leading to endless clutch wins and losses in rounds with a numerical disadvantage. However, on the second and third maps, VP showed up as a completely different team, making quick and aggressive decisions with full confidence in their actions, avoiding last-second plays. This must have been a surprise for Vitality, as they lost 13 consecutive rounds playing defense (8 in a row on Inferno and another 5 on Dust 2). Additionally, losing six pistol rounds played a significant role, giving VP a solid advantage at the start of each half.
Furia had an excellent tournament, considering they had to participate in a BO1 slugfest for the last spot in the main stage. With a new player on the team, they almost made it to the semifinals, but MOUZ proved they are still a very strong team.
Semifinals: Five Maps Without Any Intrigue
After the quite exciting quarterfinals with a high level of play, everyone expected very tight matches for a spot in the grand final. The G2 vs. Virtus.pro match was supposed to answer two questions: are G2 really that good, or was it a “honeymoon phase,” and has VP’s playstyle changed significantly? In the end, we didn’t get an answer to either question, as G2 closed out two maps in an hour and a half, giving away only 4 rounds on the first and 7 rounds on the second map. Jami Ali’s team listlessly handed over the final slot, once again raising doubts about the new roster’s prospects with electronNic. Clearly, there are changes in their gameplay approach thanks to the new coach, but it’s hard to attribute this loss to a lack of time. G2 made no fewer changes, which didn’t stop them from defeating Team Spirit and virtually annihilating VP.
It seemed the second semifinal between NAVI and MOUZ would be different from the previous match, but it turned out just as one-sided. The first map ended 13:1 in favor of MOUZ, and considering it was their opponent’s pick, Nuke was expected to go to the young team just as convincingly. Everyone knows Nuke has always been a strong map for Blade’s team, and they managed to pull this ace from their sleeve once again. On Mirage, we saw total domination by NAVI’s sniper, w0nderful, who was performing unbelievably well against MOUZ. The Major champions’ AWP was effective all over the map, and despite losing the first map 1:13, w0nderful ended the series with a rating of 1.61. This is an incredible performance, and it’s safe to say the sniper was the hero of this match.
Final: On Ancient, It Seemed Like the Best Possible Finale
Both teams had such a confident tournament run that it was challenging to determine the winner with 100% certainty before the match. Many still favored G2, believing they showed more interesting CS and had better individual performances. The first map of the confrontation proved this, as each G2 player delivered highlights, clearly showing the Samurai’s firepower had significantly increased. Snax demonstrated he could still perform at the top level, and malbsMd justified every dollar spent on his transfer. huNter- had an excellent tournament, seemingly regaining his peak form from CS, following his cousin NiKo. However, m0NESY’s play, despite a fair number of crucial rounds won, left much to be desired. In the final, the young G2 sniper frequently missed easy shots and made risky decisions that mostly didn’t pay off. On the second and third maps, the team clearly struggled psychologically, making questionable decisions both economically and tactically. The lineup has significant potential, but winning the final requires more than endless force buys and guessing the opponent’s attack direction.
NAVI, on the other hand, showcased a good pool of prepared rounds and interesting aggressive setups. Blade’s work is simply commendable, and if his players perform well in shooting, it’s impossible to stop the team. At the EWC, everyone performed well individually without faltering in aim, allowing NAVI to lift the golden plate. Many try to attribute Born to Win’s victory to luck or the tournament format, but one thing is certain – this victory is much more convincing than at the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. Interestingly, their final opponent was quite favorable for them, as G2 hadn’t beaten NAVI in their last five encounters since Aleksib joined NAVI. If the team maintains its individual form, it’s possible this lineup could lift another trophy soon.
In summary, watching tournaments hosted by the sheikhs isn’t as thrilling. The shortened format and lack of a proper arena with a large crowd don’t measure up to a tournament with such a prize pool. From a spectator’s perspective, it’s definitely not the best event, and all talks of overshadowing Majors remain just talks.