The FUT Champions Cup in Manchester was one of the most impressive yet, writes Jamie Hore, in terms of casting, production and the skills on show from some of the 128 players.
The trophy was lifted by Saudi Arabia’s “Msdosary” for Team Falcon, after seeing off the talented German “Eisvogel” for Team Envy, with the final finishing 6-4 on aggregate.
But how did the British players fair on their home turf in the footballing Mecca of Manchester?
Xbox
The Xbox was certainly the platform of choice for the majority of the British players and 11 of them advanced to the knockout stages.
However, the Round of 32 saw big names such as “FaZe Tass”, “FUTWIZ Zelonius” and “Hashtag Ryan” all crash out of the competition.
The Round of 16 also claimed some of the country’s best FIFA players.
The then unsigned champion from Barcelona, 16-year-old “DhTekkz”, was eliminated in what was his first tournament since being signed by YouTube sensations the F2 Freestylers.
Last year’s FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion “Gorilla” also failed to advance, after a shock 5-4 defeat at the hands of Canada’s “GoalMachine21”.
There was to be only one British representative in the quarter finals, which came in the form of “Hashtag Harry”.
Unfortunately, that was where his, and the UK’s, journey ended after being defeated 5-2 by Team Millenium’s Frenchman “Herozia”, who had also dumped “Hashtag Ryan” out in the first knockout round.
His quarter final place, however, secured “Hashtag Harry” a spot in the playoffs for the FIFA eWorld Cup this summer.
PS4
There was only one British player on the PS4 to make it through to the knockout phase, “Edi_”.
However, he was eliminated in the Round of 32 by Ajax’s “xLevVinken”, losing 4-1 on aggregate.
‘A disappointing weekend for the Brits’
In summary, it was a disappointing evening on the whole for the Brits who couldn’t replicate the success of the last FUT Champions Cup, won by UK FIFA player Donovan “DhTekKz” Hunt.
On the bright side, with “Hashtag Harry” getting into the last 8, the UK will now have five players in the eWorld Cup Playoffs.
He joins fellow Hashtag United boys “Hashtag Ryan” and “Hashtag dreamR”, “Gorilla” and, of course, “F2 Tekkz”, after that memorable win back in Barcelona.
