Week 1 Group Stage and Playoffs Recap: Honorable Mentions & Standouts

The first week of Esports World Cup 2025 featured major tournaments across Rennsport, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, VALORANT, and Apex Legends. Rivalries and surprises took center stage as crowds rallied behind their favorite players and teams. With spots in the finals on the line, every match mattered.

Rennsport at EWC 25

Team Vitality defies the odds to reach the finals

Rennsport at EWC 2025 kicked off with nine sim racing teams vying for six playoff spots. While Porsche Coanda, Virtus.pro, and Team Redline qualified directly to the group stage, the rest had one last chance to prove themselves. Only Atlassian Williams Sim Racing, Team Vitality, and MOUZ survived the cut. From there, the odds favored the top-seeded teams. However, Team Vitality rose to the occasion, racing past Porsche Coanda’s formidable lineup.

This was a major upset, as Porsche Coanda entered Rennsport at EWC 2025 as the number one seed and one of the favorites to win it all. The finals ultimately saw Team Vitality face off against Team Redline and Virtus.pro.

Every member of Team Vitality previously competed under the R8G Esports flag, and their strong team chemistry proved crucial in reaching this stage. Their ultimate challenge was taking on Team Redline, a powerhouse boasting sim racing World Champion Kevin Siggy and 2025 F1 Sim Racing World Champion Sebastian Job. Against two giants, the crowd couldn’t help but rally behind Team Vitality’s pursuit of first place.

FATAL FURY: COTW at EWC 2025

GO1’s dominance denies grand finals rematch between Xiaohai and Nemo

FATAL FURY: COTW at EWC 2025 had its share of surprises. Goichi "GO1" Kishida stopped a highly anticipated rematch between Naoki "Nemo" Nemoto and Zeng "Xiaohai" Zhuojun by defeating Nemo in the group stage. Just a month earlier, Nemo and Xiaohai faced off at CEO 2025, with Xiaohai emerging victorious – making GO1’s win over Nemo even more significant.

GO1 then faced Xiaohai in the finals. Heading into the event, GO1 was not the favorite to win. Many spectators and broadcast talent expected Xiaohai, the reigning 2024 EWC Street Fighter 6 champion, to dominate again. However, GO1’s intense battle and strategic defense against Xiaohai defied all expectations.

VALORANT at EWC 25

An exciting development in the Paper Rex and Fnatic rivalry

At VALORANT at EWC 25, both Paper Rex and Fnatic entered the group stage riding strong momentum. Their most recent clash came at VCT Masters Toronto, where Paper Rex defeated Fnatic in the grand final. Fans eagerly anticipated a rematch as both teams went undefeated in the group stage, setting up a playoff showdown. Fnatic avenged their earlier loss by winning the semifinals 2-1.

However, neither team was prepared for Team Heretics. After finishing last at VCT Masters Toronto, Team Heretics clawed their way back through the lower bracket, starting with a sweep over Paper Rex. They then pushed Fnatic to five maps in a thrilling grand final.

Apex Legends at EWC

Alliance and Team Falcons rivalry put on hold

During the ALGS Midseason Playoffs at EWC 25, Alliance asserted their dominance in the 10-match group stage, finishing at the top of the leaderboard. Their next challenge was overcoming a history of near misses and second-place finishes in both the ALGS 2025 Open and the ALGS 2025 Championship. Team Falcons placed second in their group, hoping to continue their momentum after defeating Alliance at the ALGS 2025 Open a few months earlier. They also aimed to defend their 2024 Club Championship title. However, neither team claimed victory, as VK Gaming took home the gold and put the rivalry for first place on hold.

With hundreds of matches set to take place over the next few days, new legends will rise as champions are crowned and rivals are toppled. Watch the Esports World Cup 2025 live or check out the ticket options to watch in-person this week!