From 256 to 12: The European Regional Qualifiers end numerous World Cup dreams this weekend. Liverpool’s Diogo Jota’s participation in the next FC Pro round has been hinted at, despite the Merseyside derby.
Nearly 4.7 percent of European eSports players will be allowed to continue dreaming the World Cup dream via FC Pro after the weekend. Only 12 out of 256 participants in each of the two Regional Qualifiers in Europe East and Europe West will reach the next round – the Global Qualifier. While players who are under contract with a club can still make the jump to the FC Pro World Championship via the domestic league, free agents and eSportsmen from organizations have only this one way.
The action on the virtual pitch is likely to be correspondingly hot on Saturday and Sunday. The European Regional Qualifiers will open with Swiss rounds, followed by a double elimination system. In Europe East, a number of German players will be aiming to advance – including some who are not currently representing a club. For example, the FOKUS trio of former world champion Mohammed ‘MoAuba’ Harkous, eNational player Dylan ‘DullenMIKE’ Neuhausen and Mustafa ‘xMusti19’ Cankal.
FC-eSport and/or Merseyside derby?
In Europe West, on the other hand, soccer celebrities have announced themselves: Liverpool pro Diogo Jota plays the leading role in the latest EA trailer for FC Pro. In it, the Portuguese marks tomorrow’s Saturday in his calendar – the kick-off of the Regional Qualifier. Of course, this is not an official confirmation of his participation. Especially since the trailer was at least mostly shot before the start of the FC Pro Open Ladder. However, he has qualified via this – on place 81 in Western Europe.
Diogo Jota could get into scheduling difficulties: After all, his Reds play the big Merseyside derby against Everton FC in the Premier League at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, no exact match times have yet been communicated for the eSports weekend. The personnel lineups for the first round in the Swiss system are also still under wraps. On the Battlefy site, through which the FC Pro season is played, the European Regional Qualifiers do not currently exist.
