- Twenty-four teams get FIFA eClub World Cup odyssey under way
- Enthralling curtain-raiser sees the completion of Rounds 1-3
- Two more days of action in Milan to decide planet’s best EA SPORTS FIFA club team
The race to be crowned the best club team on EA SPORTS FIFA began with a bang in Milan on Friday with 24 of the planet’s leading teams getting their FIFA eClub World Cup 2020™ campaign under way.
An action-packed curtain-raiser saw the completion of Rounds 1-3 of the group stage, which produced captivating 1v1 and 2v2 battles packed with tension, excitement and goals.
From titans Fnatic predictably flying high to Italy’s Team QLASH encountering a surprisingly slow start on home soil, get the lowdown on Day One with FIFA.com.
Watch Day Two live: FIFA.gg | FIFA.com | Facebook | Twitter | Twitch | YouTube
Group A: Hashtag lead, NEO keeping chase
Hashtag United enjoyed a strong start to the eClub World Cup, finishing Day One atop of the ultra-competitive Group A. ‘HashtagHarry’ and ‘HashtagShawrey’ go into tomorrow high on confidence, currently leading a group awash with talent with two more games to go before the knockouts.
Hot on their heels is NEO, the group’s top seeds and represented by ‘Gorilla’ and ‘Stokes’ who boast an abundance of tournament know-how. It sets the scene for a tantalising match-up with both sides going head to head tomorrow.
FaZe Clan and Nordavind, meanwhile, need a big Day Two if they are to keep their dreams of reaching the knockout stage alive.
Group B: Iceman and Cody keeping their cool
FC Basel 1893 eSports were in fine form on their second appearance at the eClub World Cup. Argentina’s ‘Nicolas99fc’, the former PlayStation No1, and Germany’s ‘CodyDerFinisher’ showed their synergy together in 2v2, as well as producing impressive individual performances.
Ellevens, the group’s top seeds, are still in pursuit of the No1 spot – while Mkers, Borussia-E-Sports and Movistar Riders are breathing down their neck in a tightly-contested group.
Which four teams will book their place in the Round of 16 from Group B?
Group C: Fnatic flying high, QLASH start slow
It was clear to see why Fnatic were one of the pre-tournament favourites as ‘Tom’ and ‘Tekkz’ enjoyed a blistering start to the tournament. ‘Tom’, ranked eighth in the world, continued his fine recent form by finishing Day One with a 100 per cent record in his 1v1 and 2v2 games.
Team QLASH, on the other hand, encountered a much slower start to the tournament.
Dubbed one of the teams to watch alongside Fnatic, Team QLASH, who lost all of their 2v2 games, will be hoping for a better showing on Day Two.
Group D: Complexity in the mood, Latecomers making presence felt
Complexity Gaming lead the way in Group D, carrying their impressive form from North American qualifying into the global finals. ‘Joksan’ and ‘MaXe’ will certainly be buoyed by the table going into Day Two.
Sporting CP Esports, meanwhile, find themselves third as they chase a knockout berth. It was only on Thursday that their participation at the tournament was confirmed.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of days for the Portuguese giants, who replaced Fierce eSports on the eve of the tournament, and they are certainly making the most of the opportunity given to them.
What they said
Fnatic’s ‘Tom’
“If someone offered us that amount of points before we started, ‘Tekkz’ and I would have taken it. But we did this at the eNations Cup with England: we came out firing and went into the knockouts and lost. We know it’s a new day tomorrow.
“We’re aware of how quickly FIFA can change, so we’re not taking anything for granted. We need to respect every opponent and we have a job to do tomorrow.”
Hashtag United’s ‘HashtagShawrey’
“It was tough at first: we lost and drew our first games but we managed to finish the day top of the table. It’s close at the moment, but we’re in a good position to qualify tomorrow.
“Us and NEO are the favourites to take the group. We’re confident, we’ve lost one game out of nine, so things are looking good for us. We’ll be watching others’ 2v2 games tonight, especially ‘Tom’ and ‘Tekkz’ as they won every 2v2 game.”
NEO’s ‘Gorilla’
“Our aim is to finish first. We want to get to the knockouts, obviously, and the higher the seed, the better because we can select which console we want to play on for 2v2. We’ll take it one game at a time.”
FC Basel 1893 eSports’ ‘CodyDerFinisher’
“For me, ‘Nicolas99fc’ is the best in the world. He’s taught me a lot about the 2v2, I’ve never played this format before.”
Follow Day Two
Don’t miss a second of Saturday’s action on Day Two at the FIFA eClub World Cup, where 24 teams will be narrowed down to eight. As well as watching a live stream of the entire day via a number of platforms – from FIFA.gg to Twitter – our Instagram Stories on @FIFAWorldCup will once again be taking you behind the scenes.
