The EA Sports FIFA 22 eChampions League Finals are set to take place at the Space Arena in Stockholm this Friday, with eight of Europe’s elite FIFA players competing to lift the trophy.
One UK player will be among them – Tekkz representing London-based org Fnatic – as well as Argentinian Nicolas99FC for fellow UK org Guild Esports.
Kicking off the day before the UEFA Champions League final, players will be battling it out for a share of the $280,000 prize money, with the winner taking home $75,000. The top three players will also secure a place in the FIFA 22 Global Series Playoffs in July.
From an initial pool of 1,025, the playing field has been narrowed down to just eight, with some of the biggest names in EA Sports FIFA 22 esports set to compete. This includes the aforementioned 2019 FIFA eClub World Cup winner Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt, FGS 22 Masters Cup winner Gonzalo Nicolas ‘Nicolas99fc’ Villalba and Matias ‘Matias’ Bonanno, winner of the recent 2022 Team of the Season Cup.
Others include Predator FIFA, VFL SNAKEZ, FCH1846_DENII_10, NOM_Feldman and RBLLZ_UMUT.
In addition, four former UEFA Champions League winners will compete in a series of exhibition matches to celebrate the end of the PlayStation Fan Cup.
Ashley Cole, Kaká, Henrik Larsson and Fernando Morientes will be teaming-up with four competition winners. The teams will be coached by EA Creators Bateson87, ZwebackHD, Toniemcee and ShaunaGames with the final match shown prior to the eCL Grand Final kicking-off.
Tekkz said:
“This is one of the biggest tournaments in the EA Sports FIFA 22 Global Series calendar, so naturally I’m keen to get going. It has been a long journey to get to this point, with the first qualifier taking place back in December and some high-quality players knocked out along the way. I’m going to have to be at my best if I’m to come away with the trophy.”
Tekkz, Fnatic
The broadcast team includes Rachel Stringer, Kyle Walker, Jaime Alvarez and Ryan Pessoa.
Nicolas99fc added: “As a professional EA Sports FIFA player you want to test yourself against the best, which is exactly what I’m set to do this weekend. The competition is fierce, so I’d recommend that EA Sports FIFA fans tune-in this Friday. Some of the biggest names in the game are set to play. It’s going to be a great final.”
EA Sports FIFA competitive gaming commissioner, Sam Turkbas, commented: “The eChampions League allows the best eligible European EA Sports FIFA Players to live out their dreams of glory on the virtual pitch. The eight competitors who remain have delivered incredible and exciting moments throughout this competition, showcasing their skills – we can’t wait to see who comes out on top at our finals in Stockholm.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director at UEFA, added: “We are delighted to bring the eChampions League Final to viewers across the globe after what has been a thrilling competition. With over 1,000 of the very best EA Sports FIFA players eligible to compete, there has been drama and tension as the competition has progressed to narrow down the field to the eight finalists. This Friday promises excitement and high-quality action, which I’m sure fans across the world will enjoy.”
Viewership Rewards will be in place throughout the weekend, for viewers with linked Twitch and EA accounts. By tuning into one hour of action, viewers will be eligible to receive an FGS Swap Token, which can be redeemed for a pack reward.
The finals will be played exclusively on PlayStation 5 and as a double elimination bracket, with the first matches kicking off at 1.15pm CEST. Action will be broadcast live on Twitch.TV/EASPORTSFIFA, YouTube.com/UEFATV and TikTok.com/@ChampionsLeague. For more information on this weekend’s tournament, visit the eChampions League website here.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
