Q9 spoils Philippines' CODM run

Call of Duty: Mobile majors can get confusing fast, because one team can lose early, come back through the lower bracket, and still wreck everyone’s weekend. That is basically what happened here. Q9 — the Chinese powerhouse also listed as Qing Jiu Club — ended the Philippines’ Spring Major push by edging Elevate 4-3 in the lower-bracket final on May 10, then rolling past Al-Ula Club 4-1 in the grand final to win the tournament. The event ran from March 12 to May 10 with 14 teams and a ¥2.2 million prize pool. ### Who actually got knocked out? Elevate was the last Philippine team alive when finals day started. Q9 beat them 4-3 in the lower-bracket final, which ended the country’s title hopes on the spot. After that, Q9 moved straight into the championship match and beat Al-Ula Club 4-1. Philstar’s recap framed it plainly — both Elevate and Al-Ula fell to Q9 in the closing stages. (liquipedia.net) ### Why was Elevate the bigger story? Because Elevate had already beaten Q9 just two days earlier. On May 8, Elevate got revenge on Q9 and qualified for the offline finals in China, a result that mattered emotionally and competitively after their history with the Chinese squad. That win made the rematch feel like a real opening for a Philippine title run — not just a nice underdog story. (liquipedia.net) ### So what changed in the rematch? The obvious answer is that Q9 survived the tighter series. The lower-bracket final went the full distance at 4-3, which tells you Elevate were close. But close in a double-elimination playoff is brutal — one lost map and you are done. Q9 handled that pressure better, then had enough left to beat Al-Ula much more comfortably at 4-1. (spin.ph) ### Was this a big tournament or a side event? A big one. The Spring Major is listed as an S-Tier CODM event organized by Tencent Games and TiMi Esports. It featured 14 teams, ran across nearly two months, and ended with its last two matches at the Shanghai KPL Esports Center. The prize pool was ¥2,200,000 CNY, roughly $323,000 on Liquipedia’s conversion. (liquipedia.net) ### Who is Q9, really? Not some random hot streak team. Qing Jiu Club is one of the most decorated organizations in CODM. Liquipedia describes Q9 as the first team to win three CDM titles and notes that the club also won the 2025 World Championship. So when Q9 shuts the door late in a tournament, that is veteran-champion behavior, not a fluke. ### Why does this sting for the Philippines? (liquipedia.net) Because the path was there. Elevate had already proved they could beat Q9. They got to the LAN finals in China. And the deciding loss was 4-3, not a wipeout. That makes this feel less like “not good enough” and more like “one closing stretch short.” For Philippine CODM, that is the painful version — the run was real enough to imagine the trophy. (liquipedia.net) ### What about Al-Ula? Al-Ula still had a strong event. They reached the grand final through the upper bracket and even beat GodLike 4-1 to get there. But the catch is that upper-bracket momentum only matters if you can solve the lower-bracket survivor. Q9 arrived sharpened by the Elevate series and took the title in five maps. ### Bottom line? (spin.ph) Q9 did the hardest thing in CODM playoffs — survive the scare, then finish the job. Elevate showed they were close enough to threaten the field, but this Spring Major ended as a reminder that almost beating a dynasty still means going home empty-handed. (liquipedia.net)