The final of the FIFAe World Cup begins on Thursday in Copenhagen. Four VBL professionals are involved, but face strong competition. Who has the best chance of winning the title, who could surprise and who will survive the “group of death” – eSport ventures a look into the future.
“Winning the World Cup is the big goal,” said Dylan ‘DullenMIKE’ Neuhausen after his successful qualification for the World Cup finals. The VBL singles champion is one of the hottest Germans in Copenhagen and one of the title contenders. After a somewhat bumpy start in the decisive qualifying round, the FOKUS newcomer kept his cool and eventually prevailed with two wins in the loser bracket.
Two Germans with title ambitions
Only Umut ‘Umut’ Gültekin performed even more confidently from a German perspective in London. Neuhausen’s VBL final opponent left no doubt about his participation in the finals in the winner’s bracket and prevailed with two clear victories. Anyone who wants to lay claim to the FIFA crown will have to get past the 2021 VBL champions in the Bella Arena. However, Gültekin could face a problem in “Group of Death” C, which features a number of top players.
Such as Koray ‘Kkoray’ Kücükgünar. The next talent from the forge of VfL Bochum made the Grand Final clear with two close wins in the Loser Bracket and knows exactly that it won’t get any easier in the group stage. He aptly commented on the draw on Twitter with nothing more than three skulls. Nevertheless, the highly talented 18-year-old has the skills to cause a surprise.
‘BeneCR7’ plays his way from ‘levyfinn’ to ‘Tekkz’
The same could be said about VfL colleague Benedikt ‘BeneCR7’ Bauer. For him, the qualification went particularly dramatically, in a German decider he prevailed against Rostock rookie Levy Finn ‘levyfinn’ Rieck. “I even had a few tears of joy coming up,” commented ‘BeneCR7’ on his second qualification and first final round appearance after the 2021 World Cup was still cancelled.
Bauer, however, will face one of FIFA eSports’ biggest stars in an otherwise moderate Group B: Fnatic’s Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt. The 20-year-old has been one of the best players on the scene for years and made a similar run to ‘Umut’ in London. In the final match of the Winner Bracket, he beat Mohammed ‘AboFawzi’ Fawzi 7-1 out of the virtual stadium – and made it clear that he is a force to be reckoned with due to his enormous offensive qualities.
Argentine duo among the favourites
The two Argentinians who relegated ‘Tekkz’ to third place in the eChampions League must also be reckoned with: Nicolas ‘nicolas99fc’ Villalba and Matias ‘matiasbonanno’ Bonanno played out the FIFA Kings League final between them. Villalba, known as the ‘Iceman’, who had impressively beaten Hunt in the semi-final, came out on top. The forward Englishman scored only one goal in 180 minutes, bouncing off the Gaucho’s bulwark time and again. At the Bella Arena, Villalba, who is making his fifth appearance at a World Cup finals, will face ‘Umut’ and ‘Kkoray’ in Group C, where he is one of the favourites.
Bonanno, who was responsible for the elimination of German participant Noah-Laurin ‘Snakez’ Bartsch at the eCL, recently caused a stir with his team ‘Heretics’. With them, he won the TOTS Cup undefeated. The South American is thus one of a large number of players who will not only take part in the individual European Championships, but also in the team competitions. He will also have to prove his qualities as an individual player against ‘DullenMIKE’ in the group phase in Group D.
Two champions could show off
Polish representative Damian ‘Damie’ Augustyniak could be a surprise in Group D. He already caused a minor sensation this season when he snatched the ePremier League with Norwich City. He went through the final event in England undefeated with the “Canaries”. In Copenhagen, he could be one of the insider tips.
Leandro ‘LPeixoto’ Peixoto of France is likely to have a similar status. He successfully defended the eLigue 1 title with FC Lorient, facing his own brother in the final but showing no nerves. And as if Group C wasn’t already filled with high-quality players, Peixoto will also be fighting for a place in the knockout phase.
Last patch already in place?
Last but not least, two Dutchmen should also be kept in mind: Manuel ‘Manuel’ Bachoore and Levi ‘Levi’ de Weerd celebrated the eDivise championship together at Vitesse Arnhem and will also compete for the Netherlands at the FIFAe Nations Cup. While de Weerd will start in Group A, Bachoore will join him in Group D.
In addition to all the eSportsmen, the game itself could also play an important role in the fight for the 250,000 US dollars in prize money. Shortly before the World Cup, EA SPORTS released title update 14, which could have a noticeable effect on the defensive work in the game. It is possible that the latest patch will already be used in Copenhagen – and will have a decisive impact on the field of participants.
