A Counter-Strike fan plays the esports game on an oversized gaming laptop at the Counter-Strike Austin Major launch event at The Moody Center Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Austin will be the host city for the Counter-Strike Austin Major esports tournament in June 2025. If there were any question as to the best teams competing in the Call of Duty Black Ops 6 tournament at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, they were certainly answered on Saturday.
The four teams that finished first in group play in the event — OpTic Gaming, Team Heretics, KOI and the Vancouver Surge — each won their quarterfinal playoff matches with ease, leaving the four best teams from the start as the final four remaining teams.
Heretics got things started with a 3-1 win over the Boston Breach, losing 250-175 on Hacienda Hardpoint before ripping off three straight wins — 6-1 on Rewind Search and Destroy, 3-0 on Vault Control, and 250-225 on Skyline Hardpoint.
Heretics will next face OpTic in one semifinal after the latter also won its quarterfinal 3-1. OpTic opened its tilt with 100 Thieves with a 250-116 win on Skyline Hardpoint before 100 Thieves bounced back with a 6-4 win on Rewind Search and Destroy. A 3-1 win on Hacienda Control put OpTic on the verge of winning, and victory was secured in the next map with a 250-193 win on Rewind Hardpoint.
The other side of the bracket were a pair of sweeps.
First, the Surge beat FiveFears 250-164 on Vault Hardpoint to open their match, then won 6-1 on Dealership Search and Destroy and 3-2 on Protocol Control to put the match away. KOI then made quick work of OMiT, winning 250-144 on Vault Hardpoint, 6-5 on Protocol Search and Destroy, and 3-1 on Vault Control.
The tournament culminates on Sunday, with OpTic and Heretics facing off in one semifinal and KOI playing the Surge in the other. The losers will then play a third-place match later Sunday followed by the grand final.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Esports World Cup prize pool, with money winnings and Esports World Cup club points:
1. $600,000, 1,000
2. $320,000, 750
3. $200,000, 500
4. $120,000, 300
5-8. $80,000, 200 — 100 Thieves, Boston Breach, OMiT, FiveFears.
9-12. $40,000, 0 — Cloud9, Gentle Mates, Team Falcons, FaZe Clan
13-16. $20,000, 0 — G2 Esports, Team Orchid, Team WaR, Project 7 Esports
–Field Level Media
