There’s a new team in town, and they are taking the beautiful game online. The Irish FA eCup FIFA 21 tournament is the hottest new competition to watch, with the best of the best competing to show the players on the field how it’s really done.
Never one to let a trend pass by without some input, Coca Cola is getting into the eSports game and their latest endeavour is to collect all the best gaming influencers in a tournament to be named the Northern Ireland FIFA 21 eSports National Champion. The winner will also represent Northern Ireland at the much-anticipated FIFA eNations Cup later in the year.
For all the details on the tournament, read on.
What is this?
Around the world, eSports is quickly gaining traction, with teams backed by investors claiming hundreds of thousands in tournament winnings for something 80’s movie bullies would beat up kids for doing. Now football is getting in on the game, with the launch of The Coca Cola Copa Challenge launching on October 1st. Coke has teamed up with eSports gaming solutions provider Gfinity to deliver the first ever eLOI, an eSports competition for League of Ireland football clubs.
After qualifications closed in April, 16 team “managers” were chosen to compete in a tournament of FIFA Football Manager with the intent to guide their team to the final. The fantasy draft game sees managers take on every aspect of running a team, from choosing and training players to planning winning strategies. All the games are streamed on Twitch for the audience to enjoy, causing chants to be posted in the chat.
Gfinity CEO John Clarke said: “We are looking forward to helping shine a spotlight on the exciting gaming talent that exists in the Republic of Ireland. This is an excellent initiative by the FAI and Gfinity is pleased to be able to bring its expertise in FIFA and esports to the table.”
Managers will take turns to pick at least 18 required players from a pool that changes every week. In the time between the last game and the next draft, managers will research their players and you can play Book of Maya. They will then present their choices on the Friday with missed picks filled automatically. On Saturday there will be a 90-minute game where all these players are put to the test and teams will progress based on how many points they have achieved. A 1st place will gain them 3 points, a 2nd place 2 points and a 3rd or 4th place 1 point.
Where can I watch?
The tournament kicked off on October first, with each game being streamed on Twitch TV. For the four weeks the tournament will last, you can watch the draft selection every Friday and see them in action on Saturday. There will also be streams on the chosen platforms of your favourite influencer, so look up the players to find their links to YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
By following your favourite managers, you will be privy to a range of competitions and giveaways created by the hosts and broadcast by the influencers.
Your last chance, and the tournament final will be streamed on Saturday October 23 at 7pm British Standard Time.
