The first Live FIFA 17 tournament is over. Find out who is the winner..
First Live FIFA 17 Tournament has a Winner
More than 100 guests watched the first of eight live FIFA 17 tournaments at Sportsbar 1904, in the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich on Tuesday 13 December 2016. The winner has the chance of securing a “wildcard” entry to the European qualifiers for the Grand Final of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2017 (FIWC17). His name? Bruno Bardelas.
In a thrilling final showdown, two of Switzerland’s brightest eSports stars met as 23-year-old Bardelas, a player with FC United Zurich, beat Swiss champion Luca Boller, 24, from bPartGaming, 2-1. Playing as France, Bardelas took a 2-0 lead before half-time. Although his opponent Boller, playing as Portugal, was able to find the net couldn’t manage an equaliser in the breathtaking final minutes.
“I am very happy! Luca was able to win the Swiss championships so today I get to celebrate a little revenge,” said Bardelas, speaking after the final. The victor secured the first of eight spots in the Final live tournament at the FIFA World Football Museum, in which a ticket to the European qualifiers for the Grand Final of the FIWC17 in London is up for grabs.
“It is a big honour for me to win the first live tournament here at this fantastic location,” continued Bardelas, after being congratulated by his ‘eternal rival’ Boller. “The FIFA World Football Museum is a wonderful meeting point for football fans – it is pure goose-bumps! Now I hope that I can fulfil my dream to be part of the Grand Final.”
With 32 competitors, the tournament started with a group stage made up of eight groups of four players. A round of 16, then knockout rounds preceded the final game. The matches were played concurrently on four different screens in Sportsbar 1904, three of them on huge live screens.
Over the next six months, the series of live tournaments at the Sportsbar 1904 will continue. Each tournament winner will earn a spot in one last live tournament, with a ticket to the European qualifiers on the line.
The FIWC17 Grand Final in London will see gamers from all over the globe compete for the title of the world’s best FIFA 17 player – not to mention $200,000 USD and a trip to the Best FIFA Football Awards™. The FIWC17 runner-up will receive $100,000 USD.
The Road to London is powered by EA SPORTS™’ brand-new competition mode FUT Champions. The start marks the beginning of an entire year of competitive FIFA 17 gaming, for which the prize pool totals $1.3M USD.