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FIFA 18 – FUT Champions Cup Manchester Preview
AT A GLANCE
When? April 13th-15th 2018
Where? Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, UK
What channel is it on? FUT Champions Cup will not be televised live
Where can I stream the tournament? The entire competition can be streamed on EA Sports’ official Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook channels from April 13th at 12pm (CET)
Can I follow the tournament on Twitter? Updates will be provided on the EA Sports official Twitter page. be sure to search the hashtag #FIFAeWorldCup and look up FUT Champions Cup in the Twitter search bar. Don’t forget to follow your favourite players and their respective clubs/organisations
THE LOWDOWN
Tournament Format and Schedule
The format of FUT Champions Cup is brand new and consists of two separate sections with one taking place on the PlayStation 4 and the other on Xbox One.
The first stage of the tournament will be that of a Swiss-style single group format. 64 players on each console who are all seeded based on their FUT Champions qualifying result will compete in one single group and be matched up against players who share their win-loss record as the group stage goes on.
The top 32 players from each console will qualify from the group and move on to the knockout stage of the tournament. Each player will be seeded into a single elimination bracket with the winners of each bracket facing off in the Grand Final. The final will be a two-legged affair with one game played on each console.
Friday April 13th – Group stage competition
Saturday April 14th – Conclusion of group stage competition and round of 16 knockout matches
Sunday April 15th – Conclusion of knockout competition, quarter-finals, semi-finals and console finals, followed by the two-legged Grand Final
Are there rules regarding what teams/players can be used for the tournament?
Each game will be played in the FIFA Ultimate Team mode, with each player free to use their own UT in the competition.
Who will be competing in each tournament?
A total of 128 players who qualified by finishing top of the Global Weekend League Leaderboard in February 2018 will compete in the event. You can find a full list of these players and the console they will be competing on here.
What prizes are up for grabs?
A total prize pot of $200,000 is at stake. To finish in the money, the players will have to qualify from their respective group which will guarantee them a minimum of $1000. The total amount of prize money awarded for each finishing position in the tournament is below.
65th-128th - $0
33rd-64th - $1000
17th-32nd - $2,500
16th-9th - $5,000
5th-8th - $8,000
4th-3rd - $10,000
Runner Up - $14,000
Winner - $22,000
But that’s not all that’s at stake. The top eight players from each console will not only bank a minimum of $5,000, but they will secure a coveted spot in the FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs and a chance to qualify for the FIFA eWorld Cup Finals.
THE PLAYERS
A plethora of top FIFA players will be on show this weekend but only one can walk away with the grand prize. The field is hugely exciting as you could make a case for a large number of players as to why they are the favourites to take home the trophy.
The first person on that list would be the winner of the first FUT Champions Cup in Barcelona. Donovan “F2Tekkz” Hunt pulled off what many described as the biggest shock in FIFA eSports history back in January when he came into the tournament as the 55th seed, only to win it all and establish himself as a new superstar of the competitive FIFA scene.
The 16-year-old dumped many established top players out of the tournament on his road to Champions Cup glory and will be looking to do exactly the same again. After making such an incredible splash first time round, it’s easy to foresee him doing the same again in Manchester.
One person looking to stop that fairytale from repeating itself will be the most successful player in FIFA eWorld Cup history. Spencer “Gorilla” Ealing banked $200,000 when he became the 2017 FIFA eWorld Cup winner and his aggressive, high-pressing style of play will hold him in good stead to challenge for another major honour this weekend.
The UNILAD player beat recent Manchester City acquisition Kai “deto” Wollin over two legs in that grand final last year. The two old foes are competing on separate consoles and will only face off if they meet once again in a grand final matchup, but a mouthwatering encounter between “Gorilla” and “FWTekkz” could well be in the offing with both players competing on the Xbox One this weekend.
Joining “deto” on the PlayStation 4 will be two players fresh from strong performances in the eMLS Cup last weekend, with both Chris “didychrislito” Holly and Phil “Philb94” Balke performing strongly in the inaugural FIFA MLS tournament. Holly took home a third place finish for New York City FC and Balke was a Conference semi-finalist, only losing to Montreal Impact’s “LyesMTL” on penalties. Both are among the best that North America has to offer and both have the game to bring the FUT Champions Cup back across the pond.
Last weekend also saw a victorious outing for Hashtag United as August “Agge” Rosenmeier took home the ESWC FIFA 18 crown in Paris. Rosenmeier is back in action this weekend on the PlayStation 4 as he looks to make it two titles in two weeks, but Hashtag United will possibly have even higher hopes for his teammate competing on the Xbox One. Ryan “HashtagRyan” Pessoa is the number one seed in the Xbox division with an incredible record of 159 wins with only a single defeat in qualifying. If he can continue that unstoppable form offline, then no one will be able to preventing him from lifting that trophy come Sunday night!
