Boston Major Qualifiers Filled with Upsets
The Boston Major qualifiers this weekend were full of surprises. Teams from Europe, North America, South East Asia, and China battled it out for a week to secure one of the 16 spots in Valve’s $3.1 million major event.
Major Upsets in Europe
European favorites Team Secret and Team Liquid faced unexpected defeats. Greek side Ad Finem defeated them in the upper bracket, while Russian team Virtus.pro eliminated them in the lower bracket. These two teams had undergone roster changes following the conclusion of the International 6, with Liquid adding former OG player Amer “Miracle-” Al-Barkawi and Secret bringing in talent from South East Asia.
Reignited Virtus.pro Emerges Victorious
Virtus.pro, the Russian-speaking representatives, knocked out both Team Secret and Team Liquid in the playoffs, securing their spot at the Boston Major.
Upsets in Other Regions
There were also surprises in other regions. In the Chinese qualifiers, youth teams Invictus Gaming.Youth and LGD.ForeverYoung outperformed their full rosters. In South East Asia, Fnatic, a top four team at the International 6, fell short in the playoffs against Mineski and WarriorsGaming.Unity. However, Team Faceless, featuring international stars Daryl “iceiceice” Koh and Dominik “Black” Reitmeier, advanced to Boston through the upper bracket.
Smooth Qualifiers in North America
In North America, Team NP and compLexity Gaming easily secured their spots in the Boston Major. However, controversy arose as European teams successfully reached the main qualifier after playing in the North American pre-qualifiers, as Valve has not specified any criteria regarding team location for participating in the qualifiers.