Top Eight Teams for PGL Major Quarterfinals Revealed; Seeding Debate Resurfaces
The Swiss stage of the PGL Major has come to an end, and now the top eight teams are gearing up for the quarterfinals. However, the drawing of the bracket has sparked a renewed debate over seeding in the tournament.
The quarterfinal matchups have pitted SK Gaming against Astralis, two of the strongest teams in the tournament, while newcomers BIG and Immortals will face off, guaranteeing one of them a spot in the top four.
The other two matches will see Gambit take on Fnatic, and North go up against Virtus Pro to complete the lineup.
Seeding Controversy in PGL Major Quarterfinals
The best-of-three playoff matchups were determined by seeding the teams based on their performances in the Swiss group stage. This placed teams with similar records against each other. The quarterfinals consisted of two sets of 3-2 vs. 3-0 teams, one set of 3-1 vs. 3-1 teams, and one set of 3-1 vs. 3-2 teams.
However, this method of matching teams has led to a discussion about whether or not the Swiss stage should be seeded to prevent top teams from facing off against each other. Throughout the group stage, there were several matches between strong teams while weaker opponents on the same score were matched together.
Swiss Stage Recap and Quarterfinal Schedule
The tournament started with 16 teams on July 16, and now only eight remain. Vega Squadron and FaZe Clan were the first two teams to be eliminated on day three, followed by mousesports, Penta Sports, Natus Vincere, G2 Esports, Cloud9, and FlipSid3 Tactics on day four.
Gambit and BIG dominated the group stage with flawless 3-0 records, while the other six teams barely made it through the final day of group stage competition with either a 3-1 or 3-2 record. SK, North, and Astralis finished at 3-1, while VP, Immortals, and Fnatic concluded at 3-2.
The teams will now take a well-deserved break before the quarterfinals kick off on Friday. The first three matchups will be played on Friday, and then Virtus Pro and North will face each other on Saturday before the semifinals.
PGL Major, esports, Swiss stage, seeding, quarterfinals, SK Gaming, Astralis, BIG, Immortals, Gambit, Fnatic, North, Virtus Pro