After a break of two weeks, the North American RLCS continues this weekend with the Fall Cup. Sixteen of the top teams in North America will compete in a Swiss Stage on Friday, which will lead to an eight-team single elimination Playoffs over the weekend. Important RLCS points and a potential spot in Rotterdam for the Fall Major are on the line.

The top 16 teams in terms of points from the Fall Open and the Fall Cup will also advance to the Fall Invitational, which will be the last opportunity for teams to earn points and advance to Rotterdam during this Split.

FaZe Clan, the current Regional champions, will begin their title defense against Ghost Gaming, this season’s first Main Event qualifier. Ghost Gaming will be attempting to catch up on lost time (and points) in the race to Rotterdam, while FaZe Clan will be hoping to get off to a great start to ensure they can reach the Grand Finals and earn their ticket in the Fall Major.

The Last Year’s Event

Last time around, at the Fall Open, FaZe Clan won the championship following a dominant playoff run that ended with a victory over Gen.G Mobil1 Racing in the Grand Finals. In the second event of last season, FaZe Clan failed to even qualify for the Playoffs after winning the Regional. This season, they will be aiming to avoid a similar outcome.

Regardless of other outcomes, if they can return to the Grand Finals, they will be the first team to secure their place in Rotterdam for this season. If Gen.G Mobil1 Racing wins the Fall Cup, they can also clinch their berth without assistance, but both teams (along with a few others) can clinch if other results go their way.

Last time around, G2 Esports and Spacestation Gaming both made it to the semifinals, where 67% of teams qualified for the Fall Major in North America. Both sides will be aiming to extend their playoff run after finishing 3-0 in the Swiss Stage last time. FURIA, OpTic Gaming, Version1, and Shopify Rebellion joined them in the playoffs and will all be vying for a solid outcome to secure their positions in the standings and ultimately in Rotterdam.

NRG, Complexity Gaming, Dignitas, and Team AXLE all finished with at least one victory but fell short of the necessary three to advance to the Playoffs. They have all qualified for the Fall Cup and will be trying to advance this time, as failing to do so could result in them missing the Rotterdam Fall Major.