The European Cup in FIFA eSports, the FIFA 23 eChampions League is starting, but how does it even work?
The FIFA 23 eChampions League is, as the name suggests, the eSports counterpart to the real UEFA Champions League. The PlayStation presented tournament can boast the biggest names in FIFA eSports and will feature some incredible matches. In this article you can find everything you need to know about how the tournament works, who participates, and what the players can win!
Make the first step, to get closer to the eChampions League trophy:
FIFA 23 eChampions League: The Format
Whilst teams can qualify through their league standings and the UEFA Champions League Playoffs in the real Champions League, it works very differently in FIFA 23. EA Sports divides Europe into these four regions:
West: France, Iceland, Ireland, United Kingdom
Iberia & Benelux: Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain
Germany & Austria
Nordic & East: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine
The top 256 players from each region can participate in the eChampions League Online Qualifiers. They can earn this position in Division Rivals, by collecting as many points in the Elite Division as you possibly can until the end of the first season in FUT 23 (November 11, 2022).
FIFA 23 eCL Online Qualifier
As mentioned, the 256 best players from each region will get the chance to play the FIFA 23 eChampions League Online Qualifiers. These took place on November 26 and 27 and were played in the so-called Swiss System. Just so that not everybody has to play 255 matches, the players were paired up with another player from their region based on their current record. The best 16 players from each region then qualified for the FIFA 23 eChampions League Group Stages.
FIFA 23 eCL Group Stage
Just like in the real Champions League, there is a very long pause because of the World Cup and the following winter break. On February 18 and 19, 2023 the 64 qualified players will be separated in to two groups and regions once again. The Group Stage is played in London.
Western Europe: West, Iberia & Benelux
Central & Eastern Europe: Germany, Austria, North & East
EA also uses the Swiss System in the virtual CL. This then filters out the 32 best FIFA players in Europe, which will then advance to the Knockout stages of the eChampions League.
FIFA 23 eCL Knockout Stages
On April 22 and 23 the crucial phase starts in London. In a double-elimination-bracket, the best 32 players will face each other and decide a top 8, which will then qualify for the grand final.
FIFA 23 eCL Final
The grand final of the eChampions League takes place in early June 2023 in Istanbul – just like the bigger brother, the UEFA Champions League. Here, the best eight players will compete in a final knockout bracket to decide who is going to raise the trophy. The two best players are also already guaranteed a spot in the playoffs for the FIFA eWorld Cup. Number three and four have to start in the Play-Ins first.
FIFA 23 eChampions League: The Prize Pool
In total, EA Sports gives out prices of more than $280,000. Here is the full price list:
| PLACE | PRICE | NUMBER OF WINNERS | $ PER PLACE |
| 1 | $75,000 | 1 | $75,000 |
| 2 | $50,000 | 1 | $50,000 |
| 3 | $30,000 | 1 | $30,000 |
| 4 | $20,000 | 1 | $20,000 |
| 5-6 | $15,000 | 2 | $30,000 |
| 7-8 | $10,000 | 2 | $20,000 |
| 9-12 | $5,000 | 4 | $20,000 |
| 13-16 | $3,000 | 4 | $12,000 |
| 17-24 | $2,000 | 8 | $16,000 |
| 25-32 | $1,000 | 8 | $8,000 |
| – | – | TOTAL PRIZE POOL | $281,000 |
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