August 6 – Saudi Arabia may have collapsed at Russia 2018 but their fast-fingered eSports champion Mosaad ‘Msdossary’ Aldossary struck a blow for the country hammering Belgium’s Stefano ‘StefanoPinna’ Pinna 4-0 in the final of the FIFA eWorld Cup at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.
Msdossary was the last man standing in a competition that saw over 20 million eSports players compete on EA Sports FIFA 18 game platform.
The qualifying 32 players from 19 countries made it to the three-day finals event in London to play in front of live audiences. The final was played over two legs with Msdossary beating off the Belgian challenge winning each leg 2-0.
Jean-Francois Pathy, FIFA Director of Marketing Services, said: “This year’s landmark event has experienced advanced levels of growth and has played a key role in engaging new players, fans and audiences on both digital and traditional platforms. As the wider ecosystem continues to develop, FIFA gaming is playing a key role in encouraging more young people and the wider public around the world to play football – either virtually or in person.”
The growth of eSports has been rapid with many eSports professionals now earning more than professional footballers at clubs in second tier leagues. Msdossary took home $250,000 for winning the final and will be present at FIFA’s Best Awards to be held in London in September. Runner-up StefanoPinna took home $50,000.
Todd Sitrin, General Manager and Senior Vice President Competitive Gaming Division at EA SPORTS adds: “The truly global nature of the Global Series, in combination with our inclusive approach to making competitive gaming accessible to all players, has moved from strength to strength this season. We are seeing the enormous potential of competitive FIFA coming to life, and we are extremely excited about continuing this momentum next season.”
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