RLCS7 World Championship Day 1 Recap

RLCS7 kicks off!

Day one of the RLCS7 World Championship has come and gone, and we have the results of the first Rocket League matches of the weekend. Big plays were made, and a couple teams already secured their spots for the playoffs on day three. Get up to speed with this brief recap of all the games, but if you’re just here to see the flashy plays, make sure to check out our picks for best plays of the day!

Game 1: Renegades (OCE) – FC Barcelona (EU): 0-3

FC Barcelona continued where they left off in EU League Play. They quickly took care of OCE’s strongest team and a mainstay at the RLCS, Renegades. With an effortless 3-0 sweep, Barcelona allowed Renegades just a single goal during the entire series. With that sweep, they would need only one game win against Rogue later in the day to qualify for the knockout phase on day three.

Game 2: Lowkey (SAM) – Cloud9 (NA) : 0-3

South America’s debut at the RLCS came against titleholders Cloud9. And while they fought bravely and put up a decent fight, it was Cloud9 who came away with the 3-0 win. Like FCB, they would need just a single game win later in the day against Triple Trouble to make it to day three.

Game 3: NRG (NA) – INTZ (SAM): 3-2

The first truly close game was between NRG and INTZ. While NRG is considered one of the favorites to win the tournament, INTZ gave them quite some trouble. Taking two games from the North American titans, INTZ forced game five before ultimately falling short. With the game differential’s importance though, INTZ has made good progress in their group.

Game 4: Renault Vitality (EU) – Ground Zero (OCE): 3-1

As the first seed from Europe, RV are a heavy favorite in the RLCS this season. Ground Zero didn’t completely keel over, however, and boldly took game one. RV quickly composed and took back the following three games, the very last being in overtime. Ground Zero managed to stand up against one of the favorites but couldn’t quite keep the momentum.

Game 5: FC Barcelona – Rogue (NA): 1-3

FCB had impressed in their first game, but they are known to struggle against Rogue. That proved true once more in their second match of the day. Fortunately for them, they managed to take a game to secure day three. They couldn’t find their grasp on the series, however. Rogue rose to new highs and closed out the series 1-3, and they head into day two with confidence. FCB already played all their group stage matches and can only watch Rogue – Renegades to find out whether they’ll enter day three as the first or second seed.

Game 6: Cloud 9 – Triple Trouble (EU): 3-1

Cloud9 returned for the final game of the day and didn’t struggle much with Triple Trouble. After losing game one in overtime, Cloud9 quickly got it together and closed out the next three games in a row to secure first seed in their group. They will play the second seed from Group C, which is still up in the air between Rogue, FC Barcelona, and Renegades, though Renegades need to sweep Rogue on day two to make the knockouts.

Don’t miss the rest of the RLCS7 World Championship on Saturday and Sunday, each starting at 9 a.m. PDT / 12 a.m. EDT / 18:00 CEST on Twitch and YouTube!