100 Thieves became the first team to progress through the Esports World Cup open qualifier after a 2-0 win over 1win (Ancient 16-14, Anubis 13-6).
Jack “Gizmy” von Spreckelsen’s troops were placed in the bracket of death that also included BC.Game and Liquid but bested Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and company, while 1win got the better of Liquid in the other Ro16 match.
In the match against Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov’s troops, 100 Thieves needed overtime to secure their opponent’s Ancient pick, but they were far more comfortable on their own choice.
Alex “poiii” Nyholm Sundgren led the way with a 1.65-rated CT half that ended 9-3 in favor of the European squad despite 1win winning the pistol, which gave 100 Thieves the platform for a straightforward 13-6 victory.
100 Thieves’ qualification marks the organization’s first appearance at a tier-one LAN since they returned to Counter-Strike at the start of the year.
Their exploits in the open qualifier also mean they have risen to No. 33 in the VRS, and now have a chance to accrue even more points across the double-elimination group stage, set to begin on August 12.
