(Photo credit: ESL FACEIT Group)

Team Liquid and Geekay Esports began the playoff portion of the Overwatch Champions Series 2025 -- North America Stage 3 with victories on Saturday.

Team Liquid, which finished pool play as the No. 1 seed with a 7-0 record, swept NTMR 3-0 in one best-of-five upper bracket semifinal while Geekay Esports rallied for a 3-2 win over Spacestation Gaming to punch its ticket to the upper bracket final.

The eight-team online competition produced six playoff teams following round-robin action, who all advanced to the double-elimination regional playoffs, which began Saturday. The top three finishers in the playoffs will earn Overwatch Champions Series 2025 World Finals invitations as well as cash prizes of $30,000 (first), $20,000 (second) and $14,500 (third). Lower finishers will earn less: $10,500 for fourth, $7,500 for fifth and sixth and $5,000 for seventh and eighth.

Liquid swept with a 2-1 win on Ilios Control, a 2-1 win on King's Row Hybrid and a 3-2 win on Rialto Escort.

Geekay took the opener with a 2-1 win on Samoa Control before Spacestation charged back with a 4-3 win on Rialto Escort and a 2-1 win on King's Row Hybrid. Geekay stayed alive with a 3-1 win on Aatlis Flashpoint to force Game 5 and then took the match with a 120.37-86.46 win on New Queen Street Push.

With their wins, Liquid and Geekay are off until Oct. 25, when they will face off for a spot in the grand final and a confirmed invitation to World Finals.

Saturday's losers will be back in action Sunday in lower bracket quarterfinal matches. NTMR faces Sakura Esports, which finished pool play in fifth place, while Spacestation Gaming takes on Team Z, which was the sixth and final team to advance out of pool play with a 2-5 record.

Sunday matches

Lower bracket quarterfinals

NTMR vs. Sakura Esports

Spacestation Gaming vs. Team Z

Overwatch Champions Series 2025 -- NA Stage 3 prize pool:

1. $30,000, TBD

2. $20,000, TBD

3. $14,500, TBD

4. $10,500 -- TBD

5-6. $7,500 -- TBD

7. $5,000, Extinction

8. $5,000, DhillDucks

--Field Level Media