CHAMPION OF EUROPE
Emre Yilmaz of Team Gullit defeats AC Monza’s HHezerS to emerge victorious in his dominating eChampions League run.
eChampions League
Format
There are four stages to the eChampions League competition. The top ranked European players in FUT Division Rivals compete in online qualifier tournaments on November 26th and 27th to determine who will face off against one another in the Group Stage live in London.
On February 18th, 32 players in Western Europe – Belgium, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and United Kingdom – compete in 5 rounds of Swiss to determine which 16 of them will move on to the knockout rounds. Each round, players will compete with someone else of the same record. Anyone who reaches 3 wins out of 5 will move on. On February 19th, the 32 players from Central and Eastern Europe will do the same.
The 32 total players who make it to the knockout stage in April will compete in a double elimination bracket to determine the winner of the eChampions League. If a player loses two games, they go home. The bracket will play out until only 8 players remain.
The final 8 players in the competition will compete in Istanbul on June 7th just a few days before the real world Champions League final. The bracket from April will continue until a Champion of Europe is crowned.
Prizing
Players To Watch
Tekkz
The eChampions League Invitational winner returns to the competition with a lot to prove after a quiet last season. Playing for legendary esports team Fnatic, he will be a feared name in the Swiss Group Stage and a challenge for anyone looking to claim the eChampions League trophy.
Vejrgang
If his incredible 535-match record winning streak in FUT Champions aged 15 wasn’t proof enough of ‘wunderkind’ Vejrgang’s burgeoning potential, his first competitive season in EA SPORTS FIFA 22 lived up to the billing. He won his first major tournament at the Virtual Bundesliga Club Championship alongside RBLZ Gaming teammate Umut, and helped Denmark to a quarter-final run at the FIFAe Nations Cup. The eChampions League is his first major individual event.
nicolas99fc
Reigning champion Nicolas99fc claimed the eChampions League 2021/22 title with victory over compatriot MatiasBonanno in an all-Argentinian final. Nicknamed ‘The Iceman’, he is as feared for his calm demeanour when the pressure is on as he is for his perfectly balanced blend of attacking and defensive skill. With seven major trophies to his name since debuting on EA SPORTS FIFA 18, he will be looking to atone for a bitter end to his 2021/22 season that saw him finish runner-up in the FIFAe World Cup, losing the final to Umut on penalties.
Umut
Reigning World Champion Umut will be the man to beat this season after winning the FIFAe World Cup in July 2022. The German international was named the nation’s Esports Player of the Year in 2020 and crowned Virtual Bundesliga champion in 2021, before reaching the eChampions League Finals in 2021/22, where he lost out to nicolas99FC and Feldman to post a top-six finish on his competition debut. Look out for his ritual pre-and post-match bathroom breaks.