North America League 2025 - Stage 1 is a North American league featuring 5 partner teams participating in the R6 Share program, along with 3 affiliated teams that were previously part of this program. Additionally, 2 teams have qualified through the Challenger Series—one from the LATAM North region and another from NA. The tournament will run from June 12 to July 24, with the top 4 teams earning direct invitations to the Esports World Cup 2025. Let's explore the format, opening matches, and teams to watch.

League Format

North America League 2025 - Stage 1 will take place from June 12 to July 24 and will consist of two stages:

• Group Stage: 10 teams will compete in a Bo1 format. Points will be awarded for a win in regular time, a win in overtime, and a loss in overtime. No points will be awarded for a loss in regular time. At the end of this stage, teams ranked 1st and 2nd will advance directly to the playoff semifinals. Teams ranked 3rd to 6th will move to the quarterfinals. Teams ranked 7th to 10th will be eliminated from the tournament.
• Playoffs: This stage will be conducted in a Double Elimination format. The top 2 from the group will start from the semifinals, while teams ranked 3rd to 6th will start from the quarterfinals. Matches are expected to be in a Bo3 format (TBD). The top four teams from the playoffs will receive invitations to the Esports World Cup 2025.

The prize pool distribution is known only for the top 6 teams. Additionally, the top 5 teams will earn SI Points, which will be considered in the season rankings. Based on these rankings, the top 11 teams will receive direct invitations to the Six Invitational 2026:

• 1st place - 25,000 euros + 300 SI Points
• 2nd place - 16,250 euros + 150 SI Points
• 3rd place - 13,750 euros + 50 SI Points
• 4th place - 11,850 euros + 50 SI Points
• 5th place - 11,250 euros + 50 SI Points
• 6th place - 10,650 euros + 0 SI Points
• 7th place - 10,000 euros + 0 SI Points
• 8th-10th place - 8,750 euros + 0 SI Points

Opening Matches

• Shopify Rebellion (1.17) vs Students of The Game LFO (4.40)
• M80 (1.22) vs ENVY (3.80)
• Cloud9 (2.20) vs Wildcard (1.58)
• DarkZero (1.52) vs Oxygen Esports (2.35)
• Spacestation Gaming (1.22) vs Team Cruelty (3.80)

Odds provided by Stake.com are current as of the publication of this material.

Main Favorites

Two teams stand out as the main contenders to reach the playoff semifinals and secure a direct slot at the Esports World Cup — Wildcard and M80. Wildcard, having strengthened their roster with players d4sh and bbySharKK, showed an impressive performance at the RE:L0:AD tournament. The team emerged from the group with a 4–1 record and 27 bullets, reaching the semifinals and losing only to CAG Osaka. In the group, they lost to Falcons, whose players were former world champions, but managed to defeat Spacestation Gaming, another team from NAL. M80, on the other hand, failed to advance from the group at RE:L0:AD 2025 due to a lack of bullets—this is linked to the group format issue at this tournament (we covered this in our exclusive article). Nonetheless, within the group, they defeated Falcons and Cloud9, a team also representing NAL, indicating M80's high level of play.

Contenders

Among those who will advance to the playoffs and contenders for slots at the Esports World Cup are DarkZero and Cloud9. Although both teams couldn't overcome the group stage at RE:L0:AD 2025, DarkZero displayed solid play—particularly defeating SSG and FURIA (the eventual tournament winners), handing them their only loss. This points to their potential strength. Cloud9 also showed commendable play but lost to NAL teams, finishing with a 2–3 record and 8 bullets in reserve. They lack stability for now, but their potential is evident.

Dark Horses

This category includes teams capable of either making a surprising run for one of the EWC slots or failing to reach the playoffs and exiting the tournament. These are Spacestation Gaming, Shopify Rebellion, and Oxygen Esports. Spacestation Gaming failed in the group stage of RE:L0:AD: they secured only one victory over G2, then lost three matches in a row, including games against Wildcard and DarkZero, finishing the tournament with a 1–3 record. Their form remains a mystery, especially in the context of the current league. Shopify Rebellion finished 13th–16th at Six Invitational 2025, but after the tournament, they signed Spoit—one of the best players on the scene. This is a potential boost, but it's unclear how it will affect the team's performance. Oxygen Esports finished the Six Invitational 2025 in an honorable 7th–8th place, but after the tournament, they replaced three players, which drastically changes the team dynamic. Their new form remains uncertain, making them dark horses as well.

Underdogs

The teams that will find it extremely difficult to advance from the group and are not expected to compete for Esports World Cup slots include Students of The Game LFO, Team Cruelty, and ENVY. Students of The Game LFO (formerly Luminosity Gaming) were left without an organization just a week before NAL started. The state of their roster is unknown, and it's highly likely they won't be able to challenge the top teams. Team Cruelty represents the LATAM North Challenger Series. The team has yet to play at such a high level, which may impact their performance. Previously, in the closed qualifiers for Six Invitational 2025, they lost to Wildcard and Oxygen Esports with a score of 0:2, confirming the class difference. ENVY (formerly JJ and Co) represents the NA Challenger Series. The team has yet to gain experience against Tier-1 teams, and despite potential surprises, under current conditions, they appear to be among the main underdogs.

North America League 2025 - Stage 1 promises to be a key phase of the North American season, where favorites like M80 and Wildcard are aiming for a direct path to the semifinals and a ticket to the Esports World Cup. DarkZero and Cloud9 are eager to prove their strength and compete for the top 4, while teams like Spacestation, Shopify Rebellion, and Oxygen might spring surprises despite their unstable form in previous tournaments. Newcomers from the Challenger Series—ENVY and Team Cruelty, along with Students of The Game LFO—appear as underdogs, but in the group stage, where the Bo1 format prevails, one sensational victory can change everything.