The inaugural FC Pro World Championship, the pinnacle of EA Sports FC’s new esports ecosystem, will take place at the Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin, Germany.
From July 11th-13th, 32 of the world’s best FC Pro players will compete for a lion’s share of its $1m (~£786,000) prize pool.
With its rebranding into EA Sports FC (EAFC), the former FIFA franchise also introduced a new esports ecosystem called EA Sports FC Pro. The global circuit consists of a series of one-versus-one tournaments across nine regions.
The regular season features the FC Pro Open – an open ‘Path to Pro’ circuit – and the FC Pro Leagues – an ecosystem with 32 League Partners, including the ePremier League, LALIGA FC Pro, and WOW Virtual Bundesliga.
Moreover, EAFC announced an expanded eChampions League with the European football association UEFA. The event saw 41 players compete for a total prize pool of $281,000 (~£221,000).
As the regular season has concluded, 24 competitors have already qualified for the World Championship. The remaining eight seeds will be selected during the Play-In tournament on July 10th.
To ensure the success of EAFC’s new era, the franchise also signed several strategic partnerships, including broadcast production agency Whisper and PepsiCo. EA’s investments appear fruitful as the FC Pro Open became the most-watched tournament in EA football esports history. The competition garnered 319,548 peak viewers and 6m watch hours, according to Esports Charts.
The selection of Germany as the destination for the first EAFC World Championship was most likely due to the country’s profound football history and fandom, facilitating the uptake of football simulation among German gaming fans and clubs.
Veteran football clubs, such as FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, have EAFC teams through the WOW Virtual Bundesliga, while German competitors have shown success across international events. Most recently, German players Jonny and Levyfinn secured first and second place at the eChampions League.
Sam Turkbas, Senior Director & Commissioner, Football Esports, EA, commented on the upcoming World Championship: “Year 1 of FC Pro has brought global attention to the virtual pitch, deepened our playerbase’s connection with FC Pro through incredible competitions hosted by EA and our league partners.
