100 Thieves, OpTic Gaming and Team Falcons Punch Semifinal Tickets at Esports World Cup 2026

After a thrilling Group Stage finale on Day 3, Championship Weekend got underway with the Quarter-Finals, and the intensity immediately carried over into the knockout stage.

Day 4 of the Esports World Cup 2026 delivered a packed slate of Call of Duty action, featuring a clean sweep, a pair of dominant finishes, and a seven-map thriller as the field was cut down to four.

The Esports World Cup 2026 bracket is now down to its final four.

100 Thieves, OpTic Gaming, Team Falcons and Team Heretics remain in contention, with the semifinals now set to deliver two matchups carrying plenty of history from earlier in the tournament.

100 Thieves swept Movistar KOI 4-0 to become the first team through, while OpTic Gaming answered with a 4-0 sweep of FaZe Esports. Team Falcons had to work considerably harder, overcoming Gentle Mates 4-3 after the series went all the way to a seventh-map Search & Destroy decider.

The results have produced two fascinating semifinal matchups:

And while both teams in each semifinal have already met once, neither matchup feels settled.

Quarterfinal Results

The quarterfinals produced very different stories.

100 Thieves were ruthless against KOI, winning every map and never allowing the series to develop into a contest. OpTic did exactly the same against FaZe, turning a highly anticipated matchup into a one-sided 4-0.

Falcons and Gentle Mates, meanwhile, provided the day's marathon.

After six maps, neither team could separate itself, forcing a winner-take-all Map 7. Falcons eventually prevailed 6-3 in Search & Destroy to book their place in the final four.

Team Heretics Survive G2 in Seven-Map Thriller

Team Heretics survived one of the most dramatic quarterfinals of the day, overcoming G2 Esports in a seven-map thriller to secure their place in the semifinals.

Heretics initially appeared to have the series under control after winning three of the opening four maps to take a 3-1 lead, but G2 refused to go quietly. The North American side won Maps 5 and 6 to level the series at 3-3 and force a winner-take-all decider.

Heretics ultimately held their nerve on Sake Search & Destroy, winning the final map 6-4 to close out the series 4-3 and advance to the semifinals.

G2 Esports vs. Team Heretics

The series could hardly have been more evenly matched.

G2 opened the quarterfinal with a 250-220 victory on Gridlock Hardpoint, but Heretics immediately answered on Fringe Search & Destroy, edging out a tense 6-5 result to level the series.

Heretics then took control with back-to-back victories. They defeated G2 3-1 on Den Overload before extending their lead to 3-1 with a 250-213 victory on Sake Hardpoint.

With Heretics just one map away from the semifinals, G2 were suddenly facing elimination. Instead of folding, G2 produced a remarkable response.

G2 won Gridlock Search & Destroy 6-4 to keep their tournament alive, then followed it up with a 5-3 victory on Gridlock Overload to level the series at 3-3.

That sent the quarterfinal to a decisive seventh map, with the semifinal spot coming down to Sake Search & Destroy.

Heretics finally put the series to bed with a 6-4 victory, ending G2's run and booking their place in the final four.

Quarterfinal Map Scores

G2 Esports vs. Team Heretics, Key Numbers

The map distribution shows just how close the series was. Both teams won a Hardpoint and an Overload, while Search & Destroy ultimately proved decisive, with Heretics winning two of the three S&D maps.

Heretics' ability to close out the final map was especially important after G2 had fought all the way back from a 3-1 deficit. What initially looked like a straightforward path to the semifinals became a full seven-map battle before Heretics finally found the deciding rounds.

Quarterfinal MVP: MettalZ

MettalZ was named the quarterfinal MVP for Heretics after contributing across all three game modes, including a particularly strong 1.29 KD in Overload.

For G2, the defeat brings their Championship Weekend run to an end despite a remarkable comeback. After trailing 3-1, they forced the series all the way to a seventh map and came within one victory of completing the reverse sweep.

Heretics, however, held their nerve when it mattered most.

The victory sends Heretics into the semifinals, where they will meet Team Falcons in a rematch of their earlier Group Stage encounter.

100 Thieves Sweep KOI 4-0

100 Thieves entered their quarterfinal against Movistar KOI with a semifinal spot on the line and proceeded to make the result look remarkably straightforward.

The Thieves won all four maps, including a dramatic Gridlock Overload that required overtime, before closing out the series with a 250-230 victory on Hacienda Hardpoint.

100 Thieves vs. Movistar KOI

The 4-0 scoreline doesn't quite tell the entire story.

Map 1 was a 250-202 win, while Map 4 was only separated by 20 points. The closest contest came on Gridlock, where KOI managed to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead before 100 Thieves forced overtime.

The comeback was spearheaded by aBeZy, who produced a crucial streak of four kills to bring the map level at 4-4 with only 33 seconds remaining.

KOI scored first in overtime and set the Thieves a time of 2:58.

100 Thieves needed just one minute.

They completed the objective in roughly 60 seconds to steal the map and move to a 3-0 series lead.

The Thieves then finished the job on Hacienda Hardpoint, winning 250-230 to complete the clean sweep.

Quarterfinal Map Scores

100 Thieves vs. KOI, Key Numbers

The clean sweep sends 100 Thieves into the semifinals, where they will face a familiar opponent.

100 Thieves vs. OpTic: A Group-Stage Rematch With Much More at Stake

The first semifinal is not a new matchup.

100 Thieves and OpTic Gaming already met earlier in the tournament during the group stage, and that encounter went all the way to a fifth map.

Group-Stage Meeting: 100 Thieves vs. OpTic Gaming

The group-stage result was a genuine five-map battle.

100 Thieves won both Hardpoints, but OpTic answered with victories in Search & Destroy and Overload to force a decisive Map 5. The Thieves eventually closed it out 6-3.

That loss sent OpTic into the lower bracket, where their tournament run could have ended.

Instead, OpTic defeated Project Notorious to stay alive and eventually reach the quarterfinals.

Now, after eliminating FaZe 4-0, OpTic have another shot at 100 Thieves.

And this time, the stakes are much higher.

Group Stage vs. Quarterfinal Form

There is also an interesting contrast in how the two teams reached this point.

100 Thieves were pushed all the way by OpTic in the group stage, yet looked almost unstoppable against KOI.

OpTic, meanwhile, went from a five-map defeat against the Thieves to completely dismantling FaZe in the quarterfinals.

That makes the semifinal rematch particularly difficult to call.

OpTic Destroy FaZe to Reach the Semifinals

If there were any questions about OpTic's ability to bounce back from their group-stage loss, they answered them emphatically.

OpTic swept FaZe Esports 4-0, winning all four maps and eliminating one of the biggest names remaining in the bracket.

FaZe Esports vs. OpTic Gaming

The first three maps already put OpTic firmly in control.

They won Scar Hardpoint 250-197, followed it with a 6-3 S&D victory on Sake and then took Scar Overload 6-4.

But Map 4 was where the quarterfinal truly collapsed for FaZe.

OpTic dominated Frequency Hardpoint 250-94, winning by a massive 156-point margin.

OpTic's 4-0 Sweep

The final map also produced one of the day's standout individual performances.

Shotzzy Named Match MVP

OpTic's Shotzzy was named the Match MVP after the sweep.

His overall performance included:

Shotzzy's impact was particularly clear on Frequency Hardpoint, where he finished with a 1.47 K/D, 25 kills and 17 deaths.

He was joined by strong performances from the rest of the OpTic lineup, with Mercules posting a 1.44 K/D and Dashy recording a 1.20 K/D.

Falcons Survive a Seven-Map War Against Gentle Mates

If 100 Thieves and OpTic made their quarterfinals look easy, Team Falcons took the scenic route.

The Falcons and Gentle Mates played all seven maps, with the series ultimately decided by Search & Destroy on Den.

Team Falcons vs. Gentle Mates

The series swung back and forth almost immediately.

Falcons took Map 1 by 20 points before Gentle Mates responded with a dominant 6-2 Search & Destroy on Raid.

Mates then edged Gridlock Overload 3-2 to move ahead 2-1.

Falcons answered with a commanding 250-145 victory on Sake Hardpoint, leveling the series.

Gentle Mates then appeared to seize control again, winning Gridlock S&D 6-1 and moving within one map of the semifinals.

But Falcons refused to go away.

Map 6: Falcons Force the Decider

Den Overload produced one of the lowest-scoring regulation maps of the entire series.

The teams finished regulation tied 1-1, meaning the quarterfinal would have to be settled in overtime.

Gentle Mates scored first in OT, completing their run in 57 seconds and placing a difficult time on the board for Falcons.

Then Exnid produced the moment Falcons needed.

He completed the objective in just 18 seconds.

That stunning response leveled the series at 3-3 and forced Map 7.

Everything therefore came down to Den Search & Destroy.

Falcons Close It Out on Map 7

The deciding map was a back-and-forth Search & Destroy battle, but Falcons ultimately found the consistency they needed.

They won Den 6-3, closing out the series 4-3 and advancing to the semifinals.

Map 7: Den S&D

The Falcons' ability to win the opening engagements and convert more objective opportunities proved crucial.

KiSMET led the Falcons with a 1.60 K/D, while Cellium and Exnid both finished with a 1.29 K/D.

That was enough to send Falcons through to their second semifinal matchup of the tournament.

Falcons vs. Heretics: Another Group-Stage Rematch

The other semifinal carries its own piece of history.

Team Falcons already faced Team Heretics during the group stage, and Falcons came out on top 3-1.

However, the previous meeting was considerably closer than the final score suggests.

Group-Stage Falcons vs. Heretics

Three of the four maps were decided by narrow margins, despite Falcons ultimately winning the series 3-1.

That makes the rematch much more interesting than the previous result might suggest.

Heretics already know they can challenge Falcons, while Falcons now have the psychological advantage of having beaten them once.

The question is whether that earlier victory gives Falcons confidence, or gives Heretics the blueprint they need to turn the tables.

The Day's Quarterfinal MVPs

The individual performances across the quarterfinals were just as important as the team results.

Quarterfinal MVPs

For the Falcons series specifically, Cellium's overall 1.19 K/D reflected a strong performance across the marathon seven-map battle.

For 100 Thieves, Nium was particularly effective in Search & Destroy, where his 1.60 KD stood out despite his lower overall series figure.

And for OpTic, Shotzzy's 1.20 overall KD and standout Hardpoint performance helped drive the sweep over FaZe.

The Four Semifinalists

The final four now offer four very different tournament stories.

Semifinal Bracket

100 Thieves vs. OpTic Gaming: What to Watch

This could be the most explosive semifinal on paper.

100 Thieves already beat OpTic once, but that victory required five maps. The Thieves then swept KOI, while OpTic responded to their earlier setback by completely dismantling FaZe.

There is also a fascinating tactical contrast.

100 Thieves showed against KOI that they can survive pressure and close out tight moments, particularly in that overtime Gridlock battle.

OpTic showed against FaZe that they can simply overwhelm a team before it has the opportunity to mount a comeback.

The group-stage result means 100 Thieves have already demonstrated that they can beat this OpTic roster.

The quarterfinal result means OpTic have demonstrated that the team they are now is not necessarily the same team that lost that first encounter.

Team Falcons vs. Team Heretics: Can History Repeat?

Falcons have already beaten Heretics.

But the previous 3-1 series was much closer than the scoreline indicates, with three of the four maps going down to narrow margins.

Falcons will also enter this semifinal after a completely different kind of quarterfinal experience.

The Falcons have earned their place the hard way.

They were pushed to the brink by Gentle Mates, fell behind 3-2, survived overtime in Map 6 and then delivered when it mattered most in Map 7.

Heretics, meanwhile, enter with the knowledge that Falcons are beatable.

They have already seen the matchup once. They know how close several of those maps were. And now they have another opportunity to finish the job.

From Eight Teams to Four

The quarterfinal stage has therefore produced a fascinating final four.

Two teams arrived through dominant sweeps.

One had to survive a seven-map war.

And one comes into the semifinals with a previous group-stage defeat to avenge.

The bracket has also produced something even better for the semifinals: both matches are rematches.

100 Thieves and OpTic have already played five maps against each other.

Falcons and Heretics have already played four.

Neither matchup is entering completely unknown territory.