The VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers group stage has finally concluded after five weeks of games. Out of 12 teams, eight are moving on to the playoffs.
Headlined by Cloud9 and Version1, both of whom boast perfect 5-0 records, teams will now be battling for one of two coveted spots at the first Masters event of the year in Iceland.
100 Thieves, NRG, Evil Geniuses, and Rise will be out of action in the VCT until May, when they will have to work through the open qualifiers again for a berth in the Main Event. Several major organizations will join them in fighting for a spot in VCT NA Stage 2, including TSM, T1, and FaZe Clan.
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Full list of qualified teams for VCT NA Stage 1 Challengers playoffs
Here are the eight teams that will start competing on March 17 for a chance to represent North America on the international stage.
| TEAM | GROUP | RECORD (W-L) |
| Cloud9 | A | 5-0 |
| The Guard | A | 4-1 |
| XSET | A | 3-2 |
| Luminosity Gaming | A | 2-3 |
| Version1 | B | 5-0 |
| Sentinels | B | 3-2 |
| OpTic Gaming | B | 3-2 |
| Knights | B | 2-3 |
While the brackets are yet to be announced, they should be decided by the position that teams ended the group stage in. This means that Group A top seed Cloud9 should face off against Group B bottom seed Knights, while The Guard will play Sentinels.
At the same time, Version1 will play Luminosity Gaming, while OpTic battles XSET.
The playoffs will follow a double-elimination format, with matches being played on Thursday through Sunday for two weeks. All matches will be best-of-three, except for the Lower Final and Grand Final, which will both be best-of-five.
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