The quarterfinals of the Overwatch World Cup at BlizzCon did not disappoint a single viewer that tuned in or found a seat Friday. Eight teams qualified to make it to the big stage in California, but only four moved on. After a fantastic set of games, Sweden, Canada, France and South Korea emerged victorious despite tough fights from the United Kingdom, Australia, China and the U.S., respectively.
Sweden 3, United Kingdom 0
Map 1: Oasis (Control)
Map 2: Numbani (Assault/Escort)
Map 3: Volskaya Industries (Assault)
Sweden was a huge favorite in this matchup, and the first set between the United Kingdom and Sweden was one-sided. This match was the most straightforward of the day, with Kevyn "TivQ" Lindström and Sebastian "chipshajen" Widlund being a formidable backbone for the team. TivQ, one of the most versatile players in the West, and chipshajen, a fantastic support for one of the best teams in the world, shined. Oasis, Numbani and Volskaya all went in Sweden's favor, sending the team forward into the semis.
Canada 3, Australia 2
Map 1: Oasis (Control)
Map 2: King's Row (Assault/Escort)
Map 3: Hanamura (Assault)
Map 4: Junkertown (Escort)
Map 5: Nepal (Control)
Compared to the timid first match, Canada vs. Australia delivered on every note, featuring an intense showdown between Genji mains and a reverse-sweep where Canada crawled back from the depths of defeat.
Things looked bad for Canada after it lost easy points on Oasis and King's Row, on top of the unbelievable onslaught by Australia's Ajay "Aetar" Umasankar on Genji. But when Canada was down 0-2, it just took a collective deep breath to turn the table upside down.
Liam "Mangachu" Campbell took to the skies on his trusted Pharah and rained fire over the map. The collective effort of Team Canada carried the players through Hanamura and Junkertown, while Brady "Agilities" Girardi was having an uncharacteristically difficult time going up against Genji and was lucky to lean on his teammates. Australia finally crumbled, allowing Canada to enter the semifinals where Sweden awaits.
France 3, China 1
Map 1: Nepal (Control)
Map 2: Eileen (Assault/Escort)
Map 3: Hanamura (Assault)
Map 4: Junkertown (Escort)
China vs. France was a fascinating match going in, and it turned into an incredible series. France is made up of members from Rogue, which is disbanding because a lot of its players aren't going to Overwatch League, making this World Cup the final hurrah for Rogue. China, on the other hand, had visa issues that forced players to swap in for others instead.
China played well, especially Qu "Eileen" Yiliang on Genji, who rocked the red-and-yellow Genji skin for Team China. Team France, however, was too much for the Chinese team to handle. Team France made a favorable case for itself for winning the tournament, but its greatest opponent, South Korea, lies ahead after a thrilling series against Team USA.
South Korea 3, USA 2
Map 1: Nepal (Control)
Map 2: Eichenwalde (Assault/Escort)
Map 3: Hanamura (Assault) --DRAW--
Map 4: Watchpoint:Gibraltar (Escort)
Map 5: Oasis (Control)
USA and South Korea felt like a finals match. Both teams had powerhouse players that everyone was hyped for, and on every side, that hype was matched. For Team USA, Jacob "JAKE" Lyon had been making waves in the NA scene for almost a year now, and Jay "sinatraa" Won dazzled the stage as JAKE's co-DPS this match.
For Team South Korea, it was Hwang "Fl0w3R" Yeon-oh who acted as the spear to pierce through Team USA. Of course, he was backed by incredible tank player Kim "Mano" Dong-gyu and some of the best supports in the game. Yang "tobi" Jin-mo and Ryu "Ryujehong" Je-hong kept the team going through any tough segment on the map, coupled with Kim "zunba" Joon-hyuk on his famous Zarya.
Nepal was closely fought between the two, displaying the might that every single player had to bring to the table, on top of a new Mercy meta that brought uncertainty to what was initially the certain victory for South Korea. Improved synergy from South Korea gave the American team little room to breathe once the payload reached the bridge phase of the map, resulting in South Korea's win for Eichenwalde.
Hanamura was one of the best-played maps this tournament so far, ending in a draw for both teams in the timebank stage. After that thriller, the U.S. picked up a map, but eventually, the match would reach its conclusion with South Korea winning Oasis in a dominant push that succeeded in crushing Team USA.
South Korea will face off with France and Canada will face off with Sweden. The matches begin at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The semifinals, third-place match and finals will all take place, and all four of these teams make convincing arguments for taking that No. 1 spot.