The EWC integration of the FC Pro World Championship presented a challenge for Jonas Wirth and Bochum. Now it’s official: his new team, S8UL Esports, and VfL Bochum have reached an agreement.
Unofficial becomes official: In August, the FC Pro World Championship will take place for the first time under the umbrella of the Esports World Cup (EWC). Until now, the two tournaments have been run separately – the EWC hosted an unofficial world championship, while the FC Pro World Championship remained independent as the official successor to the FIFAe World Cup.
The merger now presents challenges – for Jonas Wirth, for example. The eFootballer of the Year made a surprise move to Indian organization S8UL Esports in the summer. However, he had already qualified for the FC Pro World Championship with VfL Bochum – and according to the rules, he must also compete for this club.
Joint banner of S8UL and Bochum
However, there is one exception: if a player was signed by another organization before May 20, both sides could submit a joint agreement by May 31. In addition to agreeing on a uniform team name, they also had to determine how the points would be distributed for the club ranking in the EWC.
This agreement has been reached and has now been announced: As S8UL Esports has announced, Wirth will compete under the joint banner VfL Bochum 1848.S8UL.
At least two more VBL players will be participating
At least one more starter from Germany has been confirmed: Levy Finn Rieck from RBLZ Gaming. His teammate and defending champion Anders Vejrgang, who also comes from the Virtual Bundesliga, will also be participating.
Whether any other VBL players will qualify will be decided in the play-ins on August 3. Dylan Neuhausen, Koray Kücükgünar, and Umut Gültekin are among those competing there. Before that, however, there is still the Last Chance Qualifier: 512 players will battle it out for the last five places in the play-ins – their chances are slim.
Ralf Reichert has been head of the organization behind the Esports World Cup since 2023, which is also a founding partner of the Olympic Esports Games. He spoke to eSport about both major events.
