B8, FUT move on to playoff stage at CS:GO Esports World Cup event

B8 and FUT Esports punched their tickets to the playoff stage by emerging from Group C at the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition at the Esports World Cup on Friday in Paris.

Following four teams to advance out of Groups A and B Thursday, B8 defeated Team Vitality 2-1 and FUT Esports won by the same score against MOUZ in the Group C upper-bracket semifinals Friday. Vitality and MOUZ are still alive but dropped into the group's lower-bracket semis.

There were also four lower-bracket quarterfinal matches on Friday, which saw MIBR eliminate K27 2-0 and Ninjas in Pyjamas sweep BetBoom Team 2-0 in Group B, while PARIVISION knocked out 100 Thieves and Lynn Vision Gaming defeated TYLOO by the same 2-0 scorelines in Group C.

The event features 32 teams divided into four groups in the double-elimination opening stage. All opening matches consisted of a single map, while the remaining group-stage matches will be best-of-three.

The top four teams in each group will move on to the single-elimination playoffs. Playoff matches will be best-of-three until the grand final on Aug. 22, which will be best-of-five.

The championship team will receive $600,000 and 1,000 Esports World Cup club points. The runner-up will get $340,000 and 750 points.

On Friday, Team Vitality won the opening map in overtime, 16-12 on Mirage, but B8 answered with a 13-11 result on Inferno and a 13-4 victory on Dust II. Andrii "npl" Kukharskyi led the all-Ukrainian B8 squad with 56 kills to just 40 deaths over the three-map affair, while teammate Danylo "s1zzi" Vinnyk had 54 kills and 41 deaths.

FUT sandwiched a 13-6 victory on Ancient and a 13-11 win on Mirage around MOUZ's 16-12 overtime win on Nuke. Turkey's Yasin "xfl0ud' Koc led all players with 59 kills for FUT.

Meanwhile, in Group C's lower bracket, PARIVISION cruised with a pair of 13-5 wins over 100 Thieves (Anubis, Dust II). Lynn Vision defeated TYLOO 13-8 on Nuke and 13-4 on Inferno.

And in Group B's lower-bracket openers, MIBR hung on 13-10 on Cache before finishing off K27 13-5 on Nuke, while Ninjas in Pyjamas prevailed 13-3 on Nuke and 13-11 on Anubis to show BetBoom the door.

The tournament continues Saturday with six matches:

--BIG vs. Team Spirit (Group A lower-bracket semifinals)

--JiJieHao vs. Aurora Gaming (Group A lower-bracket semifinals)

--Natus Vincere vs. The MongolZ (Group D upper-bracket semifinals)

--9z Team vs. FURIA (Group D upper-bracket semifinals)

--3DMAX vs. magic (Group D lower-bracket quarterfinals)

--paiN Gaming vs. Wildcard (Group D lower-bracket quarterfinal

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive -- Esports World Cup prize pool (with money winnings and Esports World Cup club points)

1. $600,000, 1,000 points

2. $340,000, 750 points

3. $190,000, 500 points

4. $110,000, 300 points

5-8. $60,000, 200 points

9-16. $35,000, no points

17-24. $20,000, no points

25-32. $10,000, no points -- Luminosity Gaming, M80, K27, BetBoom Team, 100 Thieves, TYLOO, two teams TBD

--Field Level Media