August 15 – The FIFA eWorld Cup, won last weekend at The O2 in London by German Mohammed ‘MoAuba’ Harkous, hammered previous competition viewing records, growing 60% to 47 million views.
The London finals were the climax of an eSports season that kicked off with the EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series in October 2018 and incorporated 17 worldwide league partners, as well as new events including the eNations Cup and eChampions League. There were more than 140 million views across the season.
Broadcast for the first time in six languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Portuguese and Spanish – the finals were carried by carried by 21 broadcasters in more than 75 territories.
Luis Vicente, Chief Digital Transformation and Innovation Officer at FIFA said: “The FIFA eWorld Cup 2019 showcased once more the growing interest in competitive FIFA and the huge potential for both viewership and on-site live audiences. Surpassing 100 million views across the season is another record milestone for us and our partner EA SPORTS. With the newly introduced event structure and rankings this season, the competition level at the FIFA eWorld Cup was the most competitive we’ve ever seen.”
The final saw ‘MoAuba’ defeat defending champion ‘MsDossary’ in the Final Showdown to scoop the $250,000 prize money.
Todd Sitrin, SVP and GM of the EA Competitive Gaming Division said: “Competitive FIFA viewership growth has skyrocketed. This growth was fueled by an expanded EA SPORTS™ FIFA 19 Global Series which now includes millions of competitors, 17 football league partners hosting top-flight leagues, and dozens of licensed events being executed throughout the year. We’re very happy with the results and the fact that the eSports industry has recognised this franchise as a tier one eSport.”
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