BIG and JiJieHao Drawn Together in Stacked EWC Group A
The Esports World Cup has confirmed its group draw for the $2 million CS2 main event, seeding all 32 teams into four groups of eight based on the July edition of Valve Regional Standings, with the field set after the final four Last Chance Qualifier spots were decided.
The draw produced an immediate wrinkle: two Last Chance Qualifier teams, BIG and JiJieHao, both landed in Group A. BIG’s July VRS standing placed them ahead of several sides that had already received direct invites the previous month, a quirk of the seeding system that stacks Group A with Spirit, Aurora, G2, GamerLegion, Luminosity and M80 alongside the two qualifier entrants.
Group Breakdown
The other three groups carry their own concentrations of firepower. Group B pairs Falcons and FaZe with Legacy, BetBoom, Astralis, MIBR, Ninjas in Pyjamas and K27, while Group C runs Vitality and MOUZ against FUT, B8, PARIVISION, TYLOO, Lynn Vision and 100 Thieves. Group D sees Natus Vincere and The MongolZ headline a bracket rounded out by FURIA, 9z, magic, paiN, Wildcard and 3DMAX.
Full groups:
- Group A – Spirit, Aurora, G2, GamerLegion, Luminosity, M80, BIG, JiJieHao
- Group B – Falcons, Legacy, BetBoom, Astralis, MIBR, FaZe, Ninjas in Pyjamas, K27
- Group C – Vitality, MOUZ, FUT, B8, PARIVISION, TYLOO, Lynn Vision, 100 Thieves
- Group D – Natus Vincere, FURIA, 9z, The MongolZ, magic, paiN, Wildcard, 3DMAX
Format and What’s Next
The group stage runs Wednesday, August 12 through Sunday, August 16, structured as double elimination with opening matches played best-of-one and every subsequent match best-of-three. The top four finishers from each group advance to the single-elimination playoffs, running August 19–23 and culminating in the grand final at the Accor Arena.
Source: HLTV
