The Ultimates and Wildcard upset favourites to advance to playoffs at RLCS World Championship 2025

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 12/09/2025

The Rocket League World Championship was turned upside down on Thursday evening as The Ultimates and Wildcard defeated Karmine Corp and Dignitas to progress through Group A into the playoffs, guaranteeing Top 6 for the relative underdogs.

Friday’s matches will see the remaining four spots of the playoffs be decided, as heavyhitters remain with their lives on the line in the lower bracket.

Karmine Corp and Dignitas sent to lower bracket at Rocket League World Championship

Karmine Corp were favourites for the event with esports betting sites prior to Thursday’s action, but their Upper Bracket semi-final against The Ultimates showed that there is no easy path in Rocket League.

The first game went as expected, with Karmine Corp keeping a clean sheet in a comfortable 3-0 victory.

The North American team were not to be easily put away, however, as a competitive Game 2 was decided in overtime with Jason ‘Firstkiller’ Corral scoring from the kick off, with Nick ‘Chronic’ Iwanski bumping Axel ‘Vatira’ Touret out of the way so he could not prevent the winner.

The Ultimates fully asserted themselves in a 4-1 victory in Game 3, which saw dominance across the field for The Ultimates team.

Game 4 once again went to overtime as Karmine Corp recovered mentally from Game 3, but Chronic and Firstkiller combined again in spectacular fashion for The Ultimates in overtime as they took a deserved 3-1 series victory.

The result came shortly after Dignitas had faced a similar fate. The Raleigh Major runners-up were swept by Australia’s Wildcard roster, 3-0, scoring only two goals in the process.

Britain’s Jack ‘ApparentlyJack’ Benton almost equalised at the death of Game 1, with Wildcard being saved by the bounce, with the ball veering towards goal.

Game 2 saw a dogfight of a 3-2 victory for Wildcard. A defeated Dignitas slumped to a 3-0 defeat in Game 3, with Jon ‘bananahead’ Anastasakis starring in the series for Wildcard.

Fortunately for both, Dignitas and Karmine Corp cannot meet in the lower bracket, but as evidenced by their results on Thursday, neither can afford to take their opponents lightly.

Karmine Corp will play either Furia or ROC Esports, with Dignitas playing the winner of Virtus.pro or Geekay Esports, themselves an unexpected victim of The Ultimates.

For The Ultimates and Wildcard, both will start on the Upper Bracket Quarter-Finals, giving them the privilege of two lives in the competition until the semi-final stage.

RLCS World Championship Group B stays on script

Relative to Group A, Group B has largely stayed on script. Raleigh Major champions, Team Falcons, progressed into the playoffs with victories over Gen.G and Team Vitality.

The Falcons’ victory meant that no EU team made the Upper Bracket for the playoffs, an unexpected outcome for what many people assess to be Rocket League’s strongest region. Whether that is a blip or a warning sign of shifting power will be decided in the playoffs.

NRG also made it to the Upper Bracket QFs with wins over NiP and Team Secret. While NiP, a 3-2 victory, was closer than they would have liked, NRG expectedly progressed.

Vitality, featuring the legendary Evan ‘M0nkey M00n’ Rogez and fellow former BDS teammate and defending world champion Brice ‘ExoTiiK’ Bigeard, will have to play the winner of NiP or Twisted Minds to progress.

For Team Secret, Spacestation or Gen.G lie in their path.

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

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