October 27 – FIFA is expanding its eSports presence and revamping its own World Cup competitive gaming format with the launch of The Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup which is built around the new EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series.
Video gamers can qualify based on their FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Champions Weekend League online performance and at live qualifying events from November 2017 until July 2018.
The top 128 competitors (64 players representing PlayStation®4 and 64 players representing Xbox One) will go through to the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs with the winners qualifying for the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final 18, the final event on the Global Series Tour, in August 2018.
Philippe Le Floc’h, FIFA chief commercial officer, said: “In line with the FIFA 2.0 vision, we are excited to expand FIFA’s engagement in eSport and competitive gaming. This new tournament will engage even more football fans throughout the world and inspire dreams, passion and performance.”
Todd Sitrin, EA SVP and GM of the Competitive Gaming Division, emphasised that the expanded format will increase participation. “Together with FIFA, we are accelerating the growth of competitive gaming through the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series and the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup, producing more competition, attracting more players and connecting with more fans than ever before,” he said.
The competitive formats in EA SPORTS FIFA 18 breakdown as follows:
- FIFA Ultimate Team Champions Cups: these mass-entry tournaments kick off first through the popular FUT Champions mode. The top competitors will qualify for two major live tournaments – to be held in January and April 2018.
- FIFA eClub World Cup: piloted in 2017, the club tournament is back for the FIFA 18 Global Series.
- Official League Qualifying Competitions: established professional leagues with a vision of the future will be the first to host FIFA tournaments that will feed into qualification for the FIFA eWorld Cup.
- Licensed QualifyingCompetitions: organisations passionate about EA SPORTS FIFA will activate on-site qualifiers
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713935090labto1713935090ofdlr1713935090owedi1713935090sni@n1713935090osloh1713935090cin.l1713935090uap1713935090