The group stage of XSE Pro League Guangzhou wrapped up with three teams securing their places in the single-elimination playoffs. FaZe, 9z, and BIG fought through intense 2-2 elimination matches to book their spots in the bracket.
All elimination series went down to the wire. 9z opened the day by defeating their opponents despite a scorching performance from Felipe "insani" Yuji, taking Nuke 13-10 before needing overtime on Mirage after blowing a 9-3 advantage.
BIG mounted a comeback on Inferno against B8, forcing overtime with two crucial late-round victories before dominating Ancient. However, Benjamin "blameF" Bremer's squad nearly suffered a dramatic collapse reminiscent of their Cologne Major match against NRG, surrendering a commanding 12-1 lead as opponents won 10 consecutive rounds before BIG barely held on in round 24.
FaZe's journey to the playoffs came full circle as they defeated EYEBALLERS for the final bracket position. This matchup carried extra weight, as EYEBALLERS' victory over FaZe at BLAST Bounty earlier this year had marked the beginning of FaZe's downward spiral that culminated in missing the Cologne Major.
EYEBALLERS started the tournament with a 2-0 record but failed to capitalize on three consecutive chances to advance, falling to TYLOO, Nemesis, and ultimately FaZe.
Jason "JBOEN" Boe Nielsen emerged as FaZe's standout performer during the group stage, posting an impressive 1.35 rating across nine maps and proving decisive on Mirage. The series saw tight competition throughout, with EYEBALLERS taking Ancient in double overtime and mounting an eight-round comeback from 4-11 on Mirage. FaZe responded by forcing overtime and then dominating the Cache decider, powered by exceptional performances from Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken and David "frozen" Čerňanský, who posted 2.13 and 2.11 ratings respectively.
