FIFA 19 eSports – eWorld Cup Grand Final Preview
THE FACTS
When? August 2nd - August 4th
Where? 02 Arena, London, UK
Will the tournament be televised? The grand final of the FIFA eWorld Cup will be televised on Sky Sports in the UK
Where can I stream the tournament? The entire competition can be streamed on both FIFA’s official website and YouTube channel. It can also be streamed on EA Sports’ official FIFA 19 Twitch channel as well as the Twitter and Facebook channels of the FIFA eWorld Cup
Where can I get tickets? You can get tickets for the final day of the FIFA eWorld Cup and see both the semi-finals and grand final live in person, by clicking here
Can I follow the tournament on Twitter? Updates will be provided on the FIFA eWorld Cup official Twitter page and also the competitive EA Sports Twitter page which focuses specifically on FIFA eSports. Also be sure to search the hashtag #FIFAeWorldCup as well as looking up ‘FIFA eWorld Cup’ 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 FIFA eWorld Cup will be contested by 32 players (16 on the Xbox One and 16 the PlayStation 4). These 32 will be split into four groups of eight that were decided by where each player finished in the Global Series Rankings. Each player will play their seven group stage opponents once, with the top four from each group advancing to the round of 16. The tournament then enters a single elimination knockout bracket, with the final two players remaining facing off in the grand final - a two-legged match with one leg on Xbox and the other on the PS4.
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 the tournament?
A total of 32 players around the globe have qualified for the FIFA eWorld Cup through the accumulation of Global Series points over the FIFA eSports season in Global Series licensed tournaments. You can find a complete list of players who will be appearing in London, their nationality, console and the group they are placed in on the official FIFA eWorld Cup graphic below.
What prizes are up for grabs?
Up for grabs for the 32 competing players is the biggest prize pot in FIFA eSports history with a grand total of $500,000 in total. The winner will take home a mammoth $250,000 bounty, with the runner-up having to settle for $100,000. The total amount of prize money awarded for each finishing position at the FIFA eWorld Cup is below.
Winner – $250,000
Runner-up – $100,000
3rd -4th – $25,000
5th-8th – $12,000
9th-16th – $5000
17th-32nd – $750
The winner will also be exclusively invited to The Best FIFA Football Awards later in the year, where they will rub shoulders with the elite of world football including the winner of the night’s illustrious Ballon d’Or.
THE PLAYERS
After a long season of FIFA 19 with numerous offline tournaments and countless hours of play, it all comes down to this. The 32 highest ranked FIFA 19 players in the world will converge on the 02 Arena and compete against each other for the chance to be crowned FIFA eWorld Cup champion and net a cheque for $250,000.
With all the top players in action, we’ve taken a look at both the Xbox One and PS4 sides of the tournament and picked out the best players to watch out for, as they gun for FIFA eWorld Cup glory.
XBOX ONE
Competing on the Xbox side of the FIFA eWorld Cup finals are the players arguably most fancied to go on and win the entire competition. None will be more fancied going into the event than F2Tekkz. The 18-year-old Brit has been by far and away the best player on FIFA 19 throughout the season, having won an incredible seven titles and led the Xbox One Global Series Rankings leaderboard from the beginning, eventually finishing with a mammoth 13,265 points. The question everyone will ask after a season of domination though, is can Tekkz bring home the biggest title of them all? There is an argument that all his titles will mean very little if he fails to perform at the 02.
LETS GOOOO🔴🔴 EPREM CHAMP! Won it after some crazy games but so happy that I’ve done it for @LFC ❤️ Now a back to back to back to back champ and a 7x champ🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/qJViVzIGVX
— F2Tekkz (@F2Tekkz) March 29, 2019
Also competing on Xbox One is the reigning and defending FIFA eWorld Cup champion. Msdossary has been there and done it when it comes to winning on the biggest stage and the Saudi player holds an incredible record when competing at events in the UK, winning three major tournaments in the English capital since last August. He piled the pressure on F2Tekkz in an interview earlier in the season, saying that all his previous titles mean nothing compared to the prestige of the FIFA eWorld Cup. Can he back up his words and become the first player in history to retain the biggest prize in FIFA eSports?
اللهم لك الحمد، قبل ٤ شهور حققت بطولة العالم تحت مظلة EA واليوم حققت كاس العالم تحت مظلة FIFA كأول لاعب في تاريخ اللعبة يحقق بطل العالم مرتين وفي موسم واحد. أشكر جميع من ساندني ودعمني وهذه هدية ثانية لكم 💚💚💚 @GoingRogueGG @ReKTGlobal @Turki_alalshikh @SAFEISKSA pic.twitter.com/WbAIifFYsG
— مساعد الدوسري (@Msdossary7) August 4, 2018
The third player to look out for on the Xbox One side of the competition is Tom Stokes of Rebel eSports. Stokes is without a doubt the form player going into the eWorld Cup after winning the Xbox One Global Series Playoffs earlier this month following a fantastic victory over F2Tekkz in the grand final. Despite being a veteran within the scene, it was the first major title of the Brit’s FIFA career and saw him take home $75,000. The win will have given him all the confidence needed going into the FIFA eWorld Cup and Stokes will come into the event knowing that if he plays as well as he did in Berlin, he will have an unbelievable chance of making it two major honours in two months!
Oh my god I am the FIFA19 Xbox Playoffs champion!! Absolutely unreal feeling great games to Tekkz who is unbelievable. Thanks to @WilliamBrophy for keeping me calm all weekend 🙌🙌🙌🙌
— Tom Stokes (@Rebel_Stokes) July 7, 2019
Thanks for all the messages I’ll get back to everyone as soon as I can
$75,000!!! pic.twitter.com/LSpDwd5MbX
PLAYSTATION 4
Many neutrals see the PS4 side of the FIFA eWorld Cup as more exciting due to the increased depth of competition. While a number of players stand out, you can make a case for all 16 players to progress from the group stages and possibly go on and make history.
One particular PS4 player will not be only be looking to get out of his group, but to go one step further than last year. Belgian star Stefano Pinna suffered heartbreak last season after losing the FIFA eWorld Cup grand final to Msdossary, but the eDevil will have taken pride from what was a fabulous showing and has backed it up this season with a series of high tournament placings, culminating in him winning the Gfinity FIFA Series February. Following a break from offline competition due to personal reasons, Pinna returned at the PS4 Global Series Playoffs and, having shaken off any ring rust, will be ready for action in London.
🏆🏆 CONGRATULATIONS @PSVEsports @stefanopinna97! 🏆🏆
— Gfinity Esports (@Gfinity) February 3, 2019
The new GRAND CHAMPION of the @EASPORTSFIFA #GfinityFIFA Series February LQE!
Also one of the few #PS4 Champ to beat an #Xbox Champ in the Cross-Console Final! Welcome to the club! 🔥#FIFA19 #FUT #FIFAeWorldCup #LQE pic.twitter.com/UzY1t9kuJp
But the man everyone will be gunning for on the PS4 is Argentinian star Nicolas99fc. The FC Basel player already has four titles to his name this season - including the PS4 Global Series Playoffs - and stands proudly at the top of the PS4 Global Series Rankings leaderboard. He’s been dubbed 'The Iceman” by pundits due to his defensive grit and calmness under pressure. He’ll be hoping that solid back-line helps him through once again as he tries to win the biggest prize of his already illustrious career.
Campeón nuevamente de los Playoffs de PS4 e invicto jugando ante grandes jugadores. Por suerte jugué a un gran nivel y estoy muy contento por eso. Gracias a todos por el apoyo y nos vemos en Londres en algunas semanas 🐭👍 pic.twitter.com/3KMpWIMNYF
— nicolas99fc (@Nicolas99fc) July 14, 2019
The third player in focus on the PS4 is the inaugural eChampions League winner NYC_Chris. After knocking on the door for a long period of time, Chris finally broke through and secured his first ever major trophy back in May, thus establishing himself as a true contender for future tournaments. He has momentum and whilst possibly not fancied as much as the likes of Nicolas, it would be foolish to write him off.
Thanks everyone for the kind messages😊, cannot reply to everyone but I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!
— NYC_Chris 🇺🇸📍🇭🇹 (@didychrislito) May 31, 2019
Love you guys 😍#BeastUp #eCL pic.twitter.com/RiFlMCqMIr
THE PREDICTION
This is the competition all FIFA players strive to qualify for and now they’ve made it, all 32 competing players will have only victory in mind. It’s sure to be a thrilling tournament with cases being made for numerous players to go all the way and make history at the 02 Arena.
Over the course of the season, three players have really dominated the scene and it wouldn’t be a surprise if two of the three remain once we reach the grand final. Msdossary is the reigning champion with an unbelievable record in London, while F2Tekkz has proven himself as the best FIFA 19 player out there, but hasn’t been tested on this big of a stage. However, we’re tipping the king of defence and the number one ranked PlayStation 4 player - Nicolas99fc - to win the 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup and make history for himself and Argentina!
Click here for a full breakdown of the road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019
