With Survival Day done and dusted, the most important part of the FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs took center stage in Amsterdam: Qualification Day. The final rounds of the group stage decided who would head to the Round of 32, the first round of the bracket that would then decide the 16 Xbox players who would qualify for the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final in London. Big names went down and newcomers popped up as the final set of competitors battled all day for those few, coveted spots. Watch as host Spencer Owen breaks down why each day of the tournament is unique and important to the event as a whole:
The final rounds of the group stage provided their own drama as players who teetered on the edges of qualifying and elimination fought for survival in the tournament. Hashtag Harry, LP Dragonn, and Sydney FC Samer were among those ruled out at the end of the round. On the other hand, plenty of big names secured their advancement to the bracket as a result of their wins. F2TekKz, RemiMartinn, and GoalMachine21 highlighted the list of players who snatched that all-important fourth win.
Even though the stakes weren't as high because both players had qualified for the Round of 32, the matchup between MSDossary and FaZe Gorilla was particularly entertaining because it pitted two highly-skilled and undefeated competitors against each other. Only one could emerge with their perfect record intact; the second leg was particularly tight, but MSDossary claimed his sixth win.
The seventh round's entertainment was mostly headlined by players who had already qualified, with a handful of superstars earning surprising results. MSDossary was handed his first loss at the hands of NRaseck7 in an epic rematch of the Xbox Console Final in Manchester. Gorilla also added another loss to his record after a tight contest with Brazilian competitor ICHOR Resende7. Sporting KC pro Alekzandur and Spanish breakout star LosYoruguas92 picked up their sixth wins, joining MSDossary and NRaseck in the 6-1 club going into the Round of 32.
There's no exaggerating the importance of the Round of 32 in this tournament, because more is at stake than just prize money or bragging rights. The rest of the bracket stage is certainly important for those reasons and more, but the Round of 32 cleaves the remaining players in two. Those who win, have a chance at proving themselves to be the best in the world. Those who lose are absolutely done with the FIFA 18 Global Series and have no chance at going to the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final.
The following players won their Round of 32 matches and secured advancement to the Grand Final: MSDossary, Hashtag DreamR, ICHOR Resende7, Rafsou, NRaseck7, Crafty, FaZe Gorilla, GoalMachine21, AeroFIFA, AFC Ajax Dani, JSSF107, Kurt0411, SKC Alekzandur, Fabio Denuzzo, MegaBit, Sakul.
Unsurprisingly, one of the most dominant performances of the round came from Gorilla, who had a clear message to send after dropping his last two group stage matches. Paired against a strong opponent in Janoz, the Englishman poured everything into this performance en route to a 13-5 aggregate victory. Watch analyst Mike LaBelle break down one of Gorilla's many impressive goals against Janoz:
It's hard not to be superlative about MSDossary, who was again masterful on Qualification Day despite registering his first competitive loss since the previous tournament's group stage. He burst into the Round of 32 hoping to wash away the memory of his final group match loss to NRaseck7 (the only opponent that he said he didn't want to face in the tournament), defeating Inf Di Gianni with a solid 7-4 aggregate result. Mike Labelle and ChuBoi take a look at what makes MSDossary an unstoppable FIFA machine:
While most of the group stage is forgiving enough to allow players to lose up to three matches, the bracket shows absolutely no mercy. And because this is the Playoffs, there is no room for error. A win sends you to the paragon of competitive FIFA, while a loss ends your 2018 season completely. There were tons of surprise eliminations, including Hashtag Ryan's close defeat to Fabio Denuzzo and Kid M3mito's drubbing at the hands of Sakul in the final match of the day. But the most surprising loss was that of F2TekKz. The Barcelona champion didn't have the smoothest of group stage journeys, but he was expected to at least make it to the Round of 16 and get a shot at the world title. He might be done for the season, but the young phenom is clearly talented. With plenty of time to prepare for next season, it's unlikely that we've heard the last of F2TekKz.
The final day of the Xbox Playoffs might seem inconsequential compared to what was at stake on Qualification Day, but it's actually far from it. Not only is a prize pool totaling $250,000, including a grand prize of $35,000, up for grabs; the results of this tournament decide how the groups at the Grand Final will be organized. Just like the real World Cup, competitors will want to do all they can to secure a relatively easier group in London.
A few tantalizing matchups are on the slate for the Round of 16 as it kicks off Decision Day. Gorilla takes on GoalMachine21, whose status as a fan favorite hasn't waned since he first turned heads in Manchester. Fabio Denuzzo, fresh off his dramatic 120th-minute win against Hashtag Ryan in the Round of 32, will face SKC Alekzandur. MSDossary could have his hands full with the only remaining member of Hashtag United in the tournament, DreamR.
Catch these matches and more as Decision Day kicks off tomorrow, May 30 at 12:00 PM CET. You might even see some of these celebrations live:
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