Last weekend the world of esports was focused on the massive $30m Fortnite World Cup in New York, but this weekend there’s another world title up for grabs – the Fifa eWorld Cup.
The 32 best Fifa 19 players in the world will compete at the O2 Arena in London for the title of world champion and the $250,000 (£206,000) first prize.
Since Fifa 19 launched last September these players have been competing to make it to the eWorld Cup, participating in a number of competitions across the year to earn Fifa Global Series points.
Those with the most points at the end of the regular season were invited to compete at the eWorld Cup, which has the largest prize pool of any Fifa tournament this year – and the prestige of being a world champion.
To kick off the competition, the 32 players have been split into four groups across the two platforms. The 16 Xbox One players will compete in groups A and B, while the 16 PS4 players will compete in groups C and D.
The top four players from each group will then advance to the last 16, where it becomes a knockout. During these matches Xbox players will only play other Xbox players and PS4 players will only play other PS4 players.
Eventually there will only be one Xbox player and one PS4 player left, and these two will play in the grand final across both platforms. The winner of this match will be crowned world champion and take home $250,000.
“Msdossary can make Fifa history this weekend as the first ever player to win back-to-back World Championships. Not only that, he would ensure Saudi Arabia as the most successful nation in Fifa esports history,” says Richard Buckley, one of the commentators for the event.
“His perfection of the core gameplay and tactical awareness make him a strong favourite to lift the trophy. This season he’s already won two FUT cups and the Saudi Premier League, and could be solidifying himself at the greatest Fifa player ever come Sunday evening.”
“Tekkz could become England’s third Fifa eWorld Cup champion this week and one of the youngest winners,” says Brandon Smith, who will also be commentating on the eWorld Cup.
“The 18-year-old Liverpool fan has been one of the biggest breakout stars this year in the competitive Fifa scene and has managed to win over $250,000 in prize money with multiple event victories worldwide. He’s been known as the ultimate Fifa player this year and many have named him
the GOAT of Fifa esports. He comes into London as top seed and many are saying it’s his time to become a world champion.”
Millions of people worldwide play football simulation computer games, so to be able to call yourself the best in the world is quite the feat, and the $250,000 pay cheque isn’t bad either. Second place will net you $100,000, and the total prize pool is $500,000.