G2 stuns FaZe; Thieves topple OpTic as standings tighten

G2 Minnesota halted FaZe Vegas’ streak while the Los Angeles Thieves overturned OpTic Texas on Sunday, producing a shake-up in the Call of Duty League Stage 1 Major qualifying standings with one week remaining. Those results moved FaZe, OpTic and the Riyadh Falcons into a three-way tie at 4-2, each with a plus-3 map differential.

Minnesota absorbed the opening-map loss on Blackheart Hardpoint, dropping 250-193, but rallied through the map set to win 3-1. G2 eked out a 6-5 victory on Raid Search and Destroy, edged out a 2-1 result on Den Overload and closed with a 250-200 Colossus Hardpoint. FaZe had not lost since the opening day of qualifiers, making this a notable interruption to their momentum and a boost for Minnesota’s positioning.

In Los Angeles, the Thieves surrendered their first map as well, falling 250-216 to OpTic on Exposure Hardpoint. Los Angeles answered emphatically, dominating Scar Search and Destroy 6-1 and taking Exposure Overload 5-1 before finishing the match with a 250-213 win on Scar Hardpoint. The Thieves’ comeback keeps them within striking distance of the top group, sitting at 3-2 with a plus-1 map differential.

Boston staged its own comeback in the day’s other match, climbing out of a 2-0 hole to defeat Cloud9 New York in five maps. New York opened with a 250-212 Scar Hardpoint win and a 6-4 Den Overload, but Boston staved off elimination with a 4-3 Scar Overload, then flipped momentum with a dominant 250-105 Colossus Hardpoint and a 6-0 Exposure Search and Destroy to close the series.

Twelve teams play seven matches during Stage 1 qualifying; each match win is worth 10 CDL points. All 12 teams will head to Major 1 in Dallas Jan. 29-Feb. 1, but these qualifying results determine whether teams start in the upper or lower bracket — a crucial distinction for bracket paths and matchup probability. Current standings show three teams tied at 4-2 with FaZe, OpTic and Riyadh at the top, Paris and Toronto sharing 3-2 with strong plus-4 map differentials, and Vancouver sitting at 1-5 with a minus-13 map differential.

The fifth and final week of qualifying begins Friday with OpTic Texas facing the Carolina Royal Ravens and Toronto KOI meeting Paris Gentle Mates. With seeding and map differential now carrying outsized importance, watch the hardpoint and Search and Destroy performances closely; a single dominant map score can swing bracket placement and matchup difficulty at Major 1.

What this means for viewers is clear: the final qualifying weekend will decide more than records. Track map differential and round counts as closely as wins, because upper-bracket starts can hand teams cleaner paths in Dallas and change the playoff landscape for the season.