FIFA has announced that its esports competition, the FIFAe World Cup, will return to London this year after being cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FIFAe World Cup is the climax of EA SPORTS’ FIFA 21 Global Series. The event will feature 32 of the best players from across the world battling it out for part of its $500,000 (£354,942) prize pool.
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Taking place from August 6th – 9th, the tournament will feature four groups of eight players each, as players face off to finish in the top four of their respective groups. Those who qualify will enter into a single-elimination knockout stage.
Despite players have spent the entirety of the season qualifying on individual consoles, the FIFAe World Cup will feature a cross-console format to crown the ultimate world champions on both PlayStation and Xbox. For every match-up, one game will be played on Xbox and one game will be played on PlayStation in a two-legged format.
The aggregate scores of the knockout matches on both consoles will decide who remains in the tournament via the single elimination bracket.
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Whilst the prize pool totals $500,000 (£354,942), the winner of the FIFAe World Cup 2021 can look forward to claiming $250,000 (£177,481) of the pool just for themselves.
Players are expected to qualify for the event, via the EA SPORTS FIFA 21 Global Series Playoffs in their respective regions, in the upcoming weeks.
FIFA has confirmed that it will continue to monitor the global health situation leading up to the event.
Esports Insider says: It’s brilliant to see the FIFAe World Cup return after being cancelled last year, which will be a massive incentive for all competitive FIFA players. Moreover, the chance to qualify for an in-person tournament, especially given the lack of them, will also drive players to greater heights.