488 of 512 participants of the European Regional Qualifiers in FC 24 have been eliminated. Their World Cup dream about FC Pro is thus shattered – the reactions are marked by gallows humor and sadness.
“Complete focus on the next tournament” stated eNational player Dylan ‘DullenMIKE’ Neuhausen via X (formerly Twitter) after his FC Pro exit on Saturday. The catch: this is “the first Qualifier in FC 25, because this season is unfortunately already over in October.” For eSports players like ‘DullenMIKE’, who is employed by FOKUS and does not currently represent a club, the further competitive opportunities in FC 24 are indeed manageable.
EA SPORTS will open the ladder again, in November and December you can participate in two FC Pro Open Regional Cups. According to the developer, the prize money is 33,500 US dollars in each case. However, players will no longer be able to jump on the World Cup train. What remains, among other things, is ‘DullenMIKE’: To possibly still get a place in leagues like the VBL and win the ticket for the FC Pro World Championship.
“The first time I cry with helplessness “
The clock is ticking, however, with the VBL Club Championship starting as early as November 18. In addition, it is unclear whether a cooperation between organizations like FOKUS and a club can still come about – or even be pursued. Neuhausen’s teammate Mustafa ‘xMusti19’ Cankal is also facing a World Cup exit, and he was much more emotional: “I’m out for a few days for now. I feel so bad, I’ve never had anything like this before.”
The former St. Pauli pro had lost dramatically in the deciding match of the Regional Qualifier in Europe East – including missing a penalty kick in the 90th minute. On X, he posted a picture of himself afterwards with his eyes heavily reddened. And ‘xMusti19’ is not the only FC-eSport athlete who presumably couldn’t fight back the tears: For the Spaniard Ander ‘Neat’ Tobal it was, according to his own statement, “the first time I cried from helplessness”.
‘Neat’ competes for Real Valladolid in the eLaLiga, so he still has some competition ahead of him. Nevertheless, he apologized to “everyone who trusted me. This will hurt for a long time.”
“Take me back”: ‘DullenMIKE’ mourns FIFA 19
Italian Raffaele ‘Er_Caccia98’ Cacciapuoti took a different tack in his response, immediately questioning FC 24’s eSports suitability. The outcome, he said, was based “not only on the money you invest in FC Points, but also on luck with the loan packs.” He said he lost out to two top players with Icon-Ronaldo, who he claimed he couldn’t afford despite investing 3,000 euros. He said he now wants to “focus on eLigue 1”.
As things stand, ‘DullenMIKE’ and ‘xMusti19’ do not have this option. This is probably another reason why Neuhausen on X recently shared the old FIFA 19 Global Series (FGS) schedule, which featured numerous online and offline tournaments. Provided was the picture with the short phrase “Take me back” – “Bring me back”.
