'Overwatch' World Cup: 8 teams battle for their countries' glory

LOS ANGELES -- The first ever Overwatch World Cup quarterfinals kick off Friday at BlizzCon 2016 in Anaheim, California, where for the first time fans will root for their respective countries represented by Olympic-style teams.

Eight countries remain after group matches concluded October 31. Teams are competing for honor -- not money, as each player will get a small bonus for attending. But ultimately they are fighting for their home country's glory.

Players were voted in by the Overwatch community or invited by Blizzard directly. You can see how they chose candidates below:

A total of 16 countries competed last week, but only eight are advancing to the quarterfinals. Top teams from the group matches were Russia, South Korea and Spain.

Each of the three undefeated teams came out with 9 points -- one for each match win. The United States trailed with only 6.

You can see the groupings and scores here:

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The top two teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinals. Matches on November 4 will break down like this:

Russia vs France

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The odds seem to be against France. Russia placed higher during group stages and came out above teams USA and Germany. Interestingly enough, France has a higher overall player win rate with 70% to Russia's 64%.

Spain vs Finland

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Spain came out on top of their group matches, not a huge surprise when you see its roster: Spain has players from high ranking teams Reunited, Dignitas and EnVyUs. Finland's ace in the hole could be popular DPS player Timo "Taimou" Kettunen. Kettunen is known as being a strong Reaper and with the recent Ana/Reaper nano-boost plays, Finland should put up a good fight.

South Korea vs USA

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South Korea is considered the stronger team in this matchup, but don't count out the USA -- team captain Brandon "Seagull" Larned has proved a worthy player in both Overwatch Open and APAC Premier. South Korea was undefeated on all points during the group stages so they're undoubtedly going to be a tough opponent.

China vs Sweden

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This should be an interesting match to watch; both teams ended with the same amount of points but Sweden is boasting top McCree player André "iddqd" Dahlström. China may have a tough time overpowering them.

You can watch the Overwatch World Cup quarterfinals this Friday November 5 on Twitch. The Overwatch World Cup will have a decided winner the following Saturday.