The German Football League (DFL) wants to open up this year’s Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) Grand Final in FIFA 22 to fans as an offline event.
At the DFL’s virtual media round on Wednesday, final questions about the VBL Club Championship final were actually clarified. Towards the end of the press conference, however, Christopher Holschier, Head of Internal Communications and Innovation Communications at the DFL, also addressed the individual competition.
After the end of the VBL Open in March, the play-offs will take place on 7 and 8 May, with 128 participants competing for 16 final places. 100 players come from the VBL Open, 24 from the VBL Club Championship and four have qualified via the newly introduced Community Cups.
“If conditions permit “
The 16 play-off winners join the 16 finalists of the German FIFA Individual Championship, who were determined via a Top 4 finish of their clubs in the VBL Club Championship. 32 FIFA professionals, only one bowl – the search for a successor to defending champion Umut ‘Umut’ Gültekin will be exciting to watch.
And not only via the traditional live stream and on free TV, but possibly also on site: the DFL is planning the VBL Grand Final as an offline event – with the public present. “If conditions permit, also with spectators,” Holschier formulated the objective on Wednesday.
Showdown for 100,000 euros
It can therefore be strongly assumed that the DFL is already working flat out on a corresponding hygiene concept for this project. The upcoming final of the VBL Club Championship is already celebrating its premiere on the offline stage, although only a few press representatives have been invited.
For the Grand Final of the individual competition, the next step in the return to normality is now to be taken. The final will be held in the event location XPOST in Cologne, 100,000 euros are at stake as prize money pool. Further information on the setting is expected to follow in the coming weeks.