The second half of the group stage round robin at Worlds 2021 begins Friday. Every team will get another shot against each team in their group to either even the score, or pull further ahead. But, instead of spreading the three games over three days, each group will play out the entirety of the second round robin in one day. Starting Oct. 15 and lasting through Oct. 18, each day one group will play their remaining games. Group A will kick things off.
With Group A being decided Friday, here is a look at what each team has to do in order to advance to the knockout stages at Worlds 2021.
DWG KIA
Even if they go 0-3, DWG KIA will still have a good chance at playing in at least a tiebreaker for a spot in the knockout stage. Going 1-2 or better locks them into the knockout stage, depending on who they beat. A 2-1 result or better guarantees their spot and at least a tiebreaker for the first seed. A 3-0 shutout hands them the first seed.
FunPlus Phoenix
Another 2-1 result would give FunPlus Phoenix a tiebreaker for the second seed at the very least, depending on Rogue’s performance. A 3-0 win would give them at least a tiebreaker for the first seed. Meanwhile, 1-2 would give them a good chance at a tiebreaker, again depending on Rogue. An 0-3 result doesn’t eliminate them completely, but they’d need a miracle to force a tiebreaker.
Rogue
Rogue needs to go 2-1, with a win over FPX, to at least force a tiebreaker. A loss to FPX would mean that FPX needs to lose their remaining two games, while Rogue win theirs, which would leave both teams at 3-3. A 1-2 week would virtually eliminate Rogue unless FPX goes winless. An 0-3 week would eliminate them from Worlds 2021 completely.
Cloud9
Cloud9 at the very least needs to go 2-1 to have any chance at a tiebreaker. Even in that scenario, Cloud9 needs FPX to go winless, and Rogue to go 1-2. Even if Cloud9 go 3-0, they still might not be able to force a tiebreaker. In that case, they would need FPX to lose two of their three games. A 1-2 or 0-3 performance will eliminate them from Worlds 2021.
For further detail, check here for an in-depth breakdown on Worlds 2021 qualification.
