NADE, a North Macedonian side, delivered the biggest name-brand upset of Esports World Cup LCQ Day 1 on August 7 with a 2-1 best-of-three win over Eternal Fire.
Match snapshot
- Series: NADE 2-1 Eternal Fire (best-of-three)
- Stage: LCQ opening bo3s (64-team bracket, top-2 per group advance)
- Consequence: Eternal Fire drop into Saturday's elimination bracket — the only ranked heavyweight forced into a lower-bracket run on the opening day
Context
Eternal Fire came into Paris ranked HLTV #73 — a significant slide from their tier-one prime — and today's result confirms just how narrow the Turkish org's margin is now. The lineup, led by jottAAA, still packs veteran experience but hasn't strung together consistent results since the July roster reset.
What's next
Eternal Fire now play through Saturday's lower bracket, needing a full clean run to keep their EWC main-event dream alive. NADE, meanwhile, need only one more bo3 win in the group to secure a Sunday playoff slot.
