32 players have qualified for the VBL Grand Final 2024 and will be going for the German individual champion title in FC 24 this weekend. Who will secure the trophy? And how does it work anyway?
One thing is certain in the run-up to the VBL Grand Final: German eFootball will have a new individual champion. Last year’s winner Antonio Radelja failed in the VBL Open playoffs and will therefore not be defending his title. Nevertheless, the field of participants in the final round is peppered with top-class names. Umut Gültekin and Anders Vejrgang from RBLZ Gaming are among the top favorites, while Paderborn’s Jonas Wirth and FOKUS pro Dylan Neuhausen are also going into the weekend with title ambitions.
With Gültekin (2021), Neuhausen (2022) and Augsburg’s Yannic Bederke (2020), three former VBL singles champions will be competing in the Grand Final. Wirth and Jamie Bartel won the VBL Club Championship a few weeks ago, which had gone to Gültekin, Vejrgang and Richard Hormes in 2023. Some of this year’s contenders are highly decorated and some of them are among the best FC players in the world. Who comes out on top nationally will be revealed on Friday, Saturday and finally Sunday – when the trophy is awarded.
Mode: Swiss rounds and knockout phase
The 32 eSports players were divided into two groups of 16 for the VBL Grand Final. They will first play four Swiss rounds in these groups, with the first matches drawn by lot. Afterwards, two players with the same win-loss record will play each other. Whoever wins at least three of their four matches advances directly to the round of 16. Participants with a 2:2 record must first compete in the intermediate round – those with only one win or none at all have no chance of winning the title.
Each match consists of a first leg and a second leg, the goals of which are added together. If the overall result is a draw after two 90-minute matches, the match is decided in extra time or, if necessary, in a penalty shoot-out. After the Swiss rounds in the two groups, the format for the knockout phase changes to single elimination: whoever loses a duel is eliminated from the competition
Schedule and broadcasts
The first three Swiss rounds of both groups will be played on Friday from 3.30 pm. The last games of the Swiss phase will take place on Saturday from 12 noon. The intermediate round is then scheduled for 2.30 p.m., followed by the round of 16 (from 5.30 p.m.) and quarter-finals (from 7.50 p.m.). Sunday will open at 4 p.m. with the semi-finals and conclude at 6.30 p.m. with the final for the individual championship
An official VBL livestream is not yet available for the three Swiss rounds on Friday. However, the eSports action can be followed “via various co-streams and watch parties on club and influencer channels – including Elias Nerlich’s Twitch channel”.
FUT rules and prize money
Like the playoffs and the Club Championship, the VBL Grand Final will be played in the Ultimate Team mode of EA SPORTS FC 24. Similar to the club competition, eSports players will have access to a card pool with all the items from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2. Heroes from the national elite league and German icons may also be used – but only one corresponding item at a time.
The prize money amounts to a total of 100,000 euros, of which 40,000 euros alone will go to the new VBL individual champion. The runner-up will go home with 20,000 euros, while the losing semi-finalists will each receive 7,500 euros. Those who bow out of the tournament in the quarter-finals and round of 16 will still receive €3,250 and €1,500 respectively. In addition to the prize money, four places in the eChampions League and two tickets to the FC Pro World Championship will be awarded at the VBL Grand Final
