Stage 1 viewership experienced a 5–12% decline compared to the previous Major, primarily due to a lack of high-profile teams in the opening phase.
The most-watched match of Stage 1 was BIG’s comeback victory over NRG, which reached nearly 500,000 peak viewers.
B8 Esports and BB Team finished Stage 1 with undefeated 3:0 records, leading the eight teams that advanced to the next phase.
Notable upsets included the elimination of Team Liquid (ranked 25th) by FlyQuest (ranked 81st) and the exit of Heroic (ranked 27th).
The eight eliminated teams—including Team Liquid, Heroic, and NRG—each received a $5,000 prize.
Stage 2 will utilize a five-round Swiss format featuring 16 teams, with matches broadcast across Twitch, YouTube, and Kick from June 2–21.
The tournament concludes at the LANXESS Arena in Germany following earlier stages held at an ESL studio and the Palladium concert hall.
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