Umut Gültekin could have become the first German player to qualify for the World Cup by winning the FC 25 Pro Open on Monday. However, after a decent first round, the player from Leipzig failed.
In the past, it was said about the DFB Cup: It’s the easiest way to get to Europe. With the last reform, this rule of thumb is no longer entirely true – but on a virtual level it is for the FC Pro Open and the World Cup. Because whoever finishes first in their group is already guaranteed a World Cup ticket. For all second- and third-place finishers, a win in the round of 16 is enough.
From a German perspective, Umut Gültekin from RBLZ Gaming had the chance of an early World Cup ticket. The Leipzig pro was the only German to make it into the FC 25 Pro Open and still had all options open after the first round. ‘RBLZ_Umut’ found himself in the thick of the pack – tied on points with Yuval Blizovsky and Emre Yilmaz. Francesco ‘Obrun2002’ Tagliafierro was leading by four points. Accordingly, anything was still possible for the 2022 FIFA World Champion.
Bad start ran through
After just two games at the start of the second half of the season, however, dark clouds gathered over Leipzig – the botched start caused him to slip down the table. The more or less decisive third duel was against league leaders ‘Obrun2002’, whose Monday had also been mixed so far. So both needed to set their sails in what they saw as the right direction – in the end, the Italian managed to do so after a thrilling game (5:7).
The promising position of making it into the play-offs had become an outsider’s chance. Gültekin fought his way back into contention with a win over Donovan Hunt (5:2), but in the end it was not enough. The Israeli cemented his third place with Blizovsky and ‘Obrun2002’ drawing, and then even went on to win against the player from Leipzig (4:7).
As the leader of the table, the Italian can already look forward to a World Cup ticket. Emre Yilmaz and Blizovsky will get another chance in the round of 16. Gültekin, Gui Barros and Donovan Hunt, on the other hand, have been eliminated. On February 1st and 2nd, the play-offs will be held in London – where the trophy of the FC Pro Open will also be at stake. With Anders Vejrgang, a player from the Virtual Bundesliga has already qualified for the quarter-finals and the World Cup as the top of his group in Season B.
