PGC 2019: Group and elimination stage end, eight teams out

The first week of the PUBG Global Championship came to an end today with eight of the 32 participating teams being shown the door after some intense matches which saw the teams out qualifying others in the last maps on all the three days. The group stages were held on the 8th and 9th, whle the elimination stage was held on the 10th of November. Six matches were played on each day with the first three on Erangel, one on Sanhok and the last two games on Miramar.

Group 1

While top teams like Faze, Navi and Entus Ace performed as expected and qualified quite easily, the major shock came from the Oceanic team Vendetta who came fourth in a stacked group. Gen.G esports, the Korean powerhouses left everything to the last game as the powered their way to a 12 kill victory in the last map of the day to sneak in to seventh place, ahead of their compatriots T1. North American teams, Tempo Storm and Ghost gaming rounded up the last two teams from the group who made it to the semifinals directly, avoiding the elinination stage.

😱WOWOWOWOW @GenG WIN THE 1v3 CLUTCH TO TAKE THE FINAL MAP OF THE DAY! 💥#PGC19WATCH 🎥 https://t.co/kZahEYJkfV pic.twitter.com/qVWAONVVdB

— PUBG Esports (@PUBGEsports) November 9, 2019

Group 2

In contrast to group one, where the favorites made it to the semi-finals easily, group two had some shocking results which saw European powerhouse Team Liquid finishing dead last with only 13 points to their name. While teams like TSM and 4AM dominated throughout the day, North American team Genesis saw them win on the last map with 15 kills to move into the semi-finals in contrast to their compatriots, Lazarus who gave some consistent performances to make it through to the next stage. The Korean teams OGN Entus Force and Afreeca Freecs Fatal, South East Asian team Sting Divine esports and Taiwanese team ahq were the rest of the team who made it through from the group.

YOUR WINNERS FOR THE LAST MAP OF THE DAY WITH THE 4v1 ARE @GenesisPUBG!!! 💥#PGC19 WATCH 🎥https://t.co/0G7VpLwBv6 pic.twitter.com/ud5XP42r89

— PUBG Esports (@PUBGEsports) November 10, 2019

Elimination Stage

With teams coming to this stage with the points earned in the groups, it was an uphill battle for the teams who finished bottom of their respective groups. While Chinese team VC gaming dominated the day and assured a spot for the next round quite early into the day, it was not so easy for the other teams as they had to fight tooth and nail till the last game to qualify.

With their back against the walls in the last game of the day on Miramar, it was the South American team Red Canids who held their nerves in the last game and obtained a five kill victory to put them into the semi-finals.

The other teams to qualify were QM Gaming and Infantry Squad from China, Sunsister Squad from Japan, Global Esports Xsset from Taiwan, Wclick from Latin America and The Rumblers from North America. Team Liquid and Armory Gaming, powerhouses in their respective regions did not make the cut, showcasing the quality of players and teams in this tournament.

AND @REDCanids GET THE FINAL CHICKEN DINNER OF THE GROUP STAGE! 🍗#PGC19 WATCH 🎥https://t.co/0G7VpLwBv6 pic.twitter.com/tceQBwBVEb

— PUBG Esports (@PUBGEsports) November 11, 2019

The 24 teams have been divided into three groups of eight teams each and will play against each group in a round-robin system (AvsB, BvsC & CvsA). There will be six matches per group match-up. In total, each team will play 12 matches equally) and the teams' placements are based on all 12 matches, with the top 16 teams making it to the grand finals. The semi-finals will be held between Nov 15-17 in the OGN Super Arena In Los Angeles.