The Stats Zone
· Trystan Pugh

FIFA 19 eSports – eChampions League Finals Preview

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THE FACTS

When? May 31st

Where? Madrid, Spain

Where can I stream the tournament? The competition can be streamed on EA Sports’ official Twitch and YouTube channels. If you live in Canada, you can watch the event on DAZN, with new users able to sign up for a 30-day free trial. The timings are as follows.

Friday May 31st – 07:30 ET (quarter-finals)

12:00 ET (semi-finals)

13:15 ET (grand final)

Can I follow the tournament on Twitter? Updates will be provided on the EA Sports official Twitter page and also the competitive EA Sports Twitter page which focuses specifically on FIFA eSports. Also be sure to search the hashtags #FIFAeWorldCup, #eChampionsLeague and #eCL as well as looking up ‘eChampions League’ in the Twitter search bar. Don’t forget to follow your favourite players competing in the tournament, along with their respective clubs/organisations who are likely to provide real-time updates on their progress.

THE LOWDOWN

Tournament Format

The eChampions League Finals will be contested by eight players on the PlayStation 4. These eight players will compete against each other in a predetermined knockout bracket following the eChampions League group stage in Manchester last month. The four winners of the quarter-finals will advance to the semi-finals with the two victors contesting the grand final. You can see the graphic below for the bracket and who plays who in the quarter-finals.

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 required to use players who have participated in this year’s UEFA Champions League group stages.

Who will be competing in the tournament?

A total of eight players around the globe have qualified for the eChampions League Finals through the offline eChampions League group stage event which took place in April. The eight players who have qualified are as follows:

Vitality Rafsou (Team Vitality)

NYC_Chris (New York City FC)

Marcuzo (North)

xLevVinken 020 (F/A)

TG Zezinho (Team Gullit)

coL Joksan (compLexity)

AlanAvi (FC Dallas)

Dr NightWatch (F/A)

What prizes are up for grabs?

A cash pool of $280,000 will be on offer throughout the entirety of the eChampions League, with the winner earning a total of $100,000. The eight players who have qualified for the eChampions League finals are all guaranteed a minimum of $15,000.

Also up for grabs for the competing players are FIFA Global Series Points, with more points up for the grabs the higher you place at the tournament. These points will see them rise up the FIFA Global Series rankings leaderboard for their respective console. At the end of the season, the top 16 ranked players from each console according to the Global Series rankings leaderboard will qualify for the 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup. The total amount of prize money and Global Series Points awarded for each finishing position at the eChampions League is below:

Winner - $100,000 + 850 GSP
Runner-up – $60,000 + 450 GSP
Semi-finalists - $30,000 + 315 GSP
Quarter-finalists – $15,000 + 150 GSP

THE PLAYERS

The inaugural eChampions League reaches its final phase in Madrid at the close of May, as the eight remaining players compete in knockout competition to determine the inaugural eChampions League winner. Of the eight players left, we’ve picked out a few to focus on individually.

Firstly, we’re looking at the played ranked fifth in the PlayStation 4 FIFA Global Series Rankings. Joksan of compLexity Gaming burst onto the scene earlier in the season when he won the PS4 Continental Cup in Paris. Of the eight competitors, he was the first player to have won an offline tournament on FIFA 19 and that experience should hold him in good stead as he looks to win his second PS4 exclusive event of the season. After beating the reigning world champion Msdossary at the eChampions League Group Stage in Manchester, Joksan will be seen by many as the favourite to win it all in Madrid.

From the player ranked fifth on the PS4 Global Series Rankings, we move to the player ranked right behind him at sixth. xLevVinken 020 has had a fantastic season on FIFA 19, with the Dutch star a grand finalist at the FUT Champions Cup in April and a semi-finalist in February’s FIFA eClub World Cup. All that’s missing from his season so far is a first-place finish in an offline tournament and the eChampions League may be the event he pulls it off. Lev will certainly be hoping not to suffer the same fate as his beloved AFC Ajax in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.

If Lev is to win his first trophy of the season, he’ll have to get past the former FIFA Interactive Club World Cup Champion Marcuzo in the quarter-finals. The Dane is a man in form, having recently brought home the eSuperliga in its second FIFA 19 season. He has proven himself in the past to turn up in big offline events and he’ll need to do so again here. A mouthwatering match-up awaits between him and Lev.

THE PREDICTION

With all the highest ranking FIFA 19 competitors of the season knocked out, the eight-man field is arguably the most open it has ever been for the final stages of an offline knockout tournament this season.

Realistically, the eChampions League finals is open for any player to swoop in and take the title, and it all very much depends on who turns up, fails to be overawed by the occasion and performs at their best on the day. Looking at the players and quarter-final fixtures, we’re predicting that the winner of the last eight knockout match between xLevVinken 020 and Marcuzo will go on and win the inaugural eChampions League.

For more information about the eChampions League Finals, visit our index page

Click here for a full breakdown of the road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019

Click here for our latest FIFA eSports player rankings

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