The esports market continues to grown and Electronic Arts wants a piece of it. To that end, it’s leveraging one of its most successful franchises and is launching the first eWorld Cup in collaboration with the sport’s governing body, FIFA. The two entities have announced the launch of the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018, it’s a “landmark competition slated to bring global excitement to millions of competitors and spectators,” they say.
The FIFA World Cup is one of the greatest athletic events in the world. They’re now trying to replicate that success in the esports arena. Competitors are going to qualify based on their FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) Champions Weekend League online performance as well as at live qualifying events throughout the year.
Players who want to take part in this competition will have to compete in a series of qualifying tournaments from November 2017 to June 2018. Existing teams and professional players will be able to compete for their sport in the official league-qualifying tournaments.
When the qualifying season ends, EA and FIFA will pick the top 128 players split equally across the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. They will move on to the FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs. Those who make it through that stage will eventually compete in the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final.
More information about the official rules and eligibility restrictions is available on EA’s website.