There were a large number of upsets in the qualifying stage with poker heavyweights Brazil, the U.K. and the Netherlands all getting eliminated.
Brazil was a particularly big upset as they fell to scrappy Peru, which actually has a history of success in the World Cup of Poker with an overall win in 2012.
Surprisingly not a single Scandinavian country made it through to the next round.
This year’s contest is entirely online, which has helped generate a massive 16-team bracket for the knockout stage.
Some of the notable teams to make it through include France, Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Germany, Australia and Spain.
Battle Continues on Nov. 29
The round of 16 begins on Nov. 29 with the eventual winners qualifying for the Quarter-Finals.
This year’s World Cup of Poker is being played entirely with play money chips and the final match will feature 200m in added play money.
USA/Canada isn’t the only interesting battle in the Round of 16 and here’s a complete look at the rest of the matches:
New Zealand vs. Russia Italy vs. Ukraine Germany vs. Spain Venezuela vs. Peru Australia vs. Kazakhstan France vs. Switzerland Poland vs. Bulgeria USA vs. Canada
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