Team United Kingdom eliminated Team USA from the Overwatch World Cup finals at BlizzCon today with a 3-1 victory, advancing to the semifinals in the process.
The Americans, who entered as heavy favorites after a flawless 5-0 record in the Los Angeles qualifying stage, took the early series lead with a win on Ilios Control. The Brits tied the series up in the next game, though, taking King’s Row Hybrid 1-0.
With the series tied, Team UK took the advantage with a win on Volskaya Industries Assault. And the United Kingdom ended the Americans’ tournament with a 3-2 win on Route 66 Escort.
The loss comes as shock to many in the Overwatch community. Not only did the United States look especially strong in qualifying, but the team featured several Overwatch League players from Houston Outlaws, San Francisco Shock, and more. The United Kingdom’s team, on the other hand, consisted of mostly Contenders players.
With this defeat, the U.S. are out of the Overwatch World Cup with a top eight placing, the exact same finish they’ve earned each of the last two years. In 2016, eventual-champions South Korea eliminated the United States in the first round of the playoffs. And last year, the United States came into the finals off the heels of an undefeated qualifying stage, and were knocked out in the first round by South Korea again.
Although Team USA are out of the OWWC, seven teams still remain in contention for the title. Team Canada, who suffered their only loss in the Los Angeles qualifier to the United States, will take on France in the opening round of the bracket.
The two-time defending champions, South Korea, will also play Friday. Their match against Australia is set to kick off at 9:15pm CT.
Published: Nov 2, 2018 04:45 pm