RLCS World Championship: Wildcard Stage Preview

The Rocket League World Championship is finally upon us, and we couldn’t be more excited. The tournament will be held from August 4 to the 14th in Fort Worth, Texas. Seven different regions will be competing in this tournament, totaling up to 24 teams.

The seven competing regions are Europe, America, South America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Oceania. This year’s championship is exciting because it marks the first time Sub-Saharan African teams will be competing. The prize pool has increased as well, with the total pool being $2 million. Grab onto your hats because this is going to be a wild ride.

Teams Competing in the RLCS World Championship Wildcard Stage

The Rocket League World Championship Wildcard Stage features 16 teams representing seven regions from around the world. Let’s break them down by region.

Europe

• Dignitas started out with 3-0 in the Fall Major
• Karmine Corp was fourth place in the Spring Major
• SMPR Esports were only in the Fall Major this year and finished ​​3-4th

North America

• Version1 is the only team that beat Moist Esports once during the Spring Major
• SpaceStation Gaming nearly qualified for all three Majors this year
• OpTic Gaming were 7th-8th at the Spring Major

South America

• The Club won the second regional event, albeit as eRa Eternity
• Team Secret beat Team BDS 3-0 in the Spring Major

Asia Pacific

• Gaimin Gladiators is the first team from the region that competed in an international RLCS event, though they had done so as 3RATS
• Tokyo Verdy Esports have gotten 1st or 2nd place in all nine regional events this year

Middle East and North Africa

• 01 Esports players got second place in 3 regional events
• Veloce Esports are one of the only teams that continually kept beating the Falcons throughout the season in regional events

Sub-Saharan Africa

• Bravado Gaming has won a regional event
• Orlando Pirates Exdee have won 6 regional events

Oceania

• Pioneers beat Team BDS at the Spring Major
• Renegades appeared in two Majors, but only have 3 wins in total

RLCS World Championship Schedule and Format

The Wildcard Stage will be a Swiss system format, meaning teams have to win 3 matches in order to advance. 8 teams that manage to win three times will move forward to the group stage. The Wildcard stage finishes on August 7.

The Groups Stage will be happening from August 9th to 13th and will feature double elimination brackets. Two groups of eight teams each will be battling it out amongst themselves to make the playoffs. Eight teams in the Groups Stage are the top 8 seeded teams – G2 Esports, FaZe Clan, NRG, Moist Esports, Team BDS, Endpoint, FURIA Esports and Team Falcons – while the rest will come from the Wildcard Stage. 

The Playoffs are set to take place on August 14th, and they will feature a single elimination bracket. Only 4 teams will be able to end up here to fight for their glory, satisfaction, and prize money, amongst other stuff.

The Groups Stage and the Playoffs will feature best of seven matches, while the Wildcard Stage will have best of five.

Early Favorites to Win the RLCS World Championship

The favorites here are either G2 Esports, Team BDS, or Moist Esports. One of the reasons we say that is because they all got themselves a Major win this year. Moist even reached two finals this season, but won only once. But as we all know, anything can happen in the RLCS.

Is it possible to win for teams outside NA and EU? Of course it is. FURIA and Team Falcons are prime examples of that. They have already shown us that they can take it to the highest level, so we’re excited to see what they show us here.

FaZe Clan, Karmine Corp, and Version1 are also teams to keep an eye on. They hail from EU and NA, same as the favourites, but rest assured, these teams pack a proper punch.

Last but surely not least, we have teams that have never competed in an international RLCS event. Even though their chances do seem a bit slimmer, they are most certainly not zero.

All of these teams are here for a reason, and that reason is that they’re better than any other team out there. This Rocket League World Championship will be an immense pleasure to watch, so without further ado, let’s see what happens!