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SA’s biggest gaming brand, VS Gaming, has landed the rights to host a FIFA eWorld Cup qualifier this year. Not only will it be the biggest FIFA gaming tournament in Africa, but the second biggest in the world. Grethe Kemp spoke to the brand about being in the big league.
Johannesburg - Competitors are getting ready for the biggest FIFA gaming tournament ever to hit Africa, the VS Gaming Cup.
With 1 024 players, the tournament will be a qualifier for gamers to compete to represent South Africa at the massive Global Series Play-offs later this year. Ultimately, players are looking at a chance to compete in the eWorld Cup with its $200 000 (R2.3 million) first prize.
According to VS Gaming spokesperson, Wanda Mkhize: “EA Sports FIFA is one of the country’s top selling video games and with almost 7 million gamers around South Africa, we can safely say this is a more than ideal partnership. It most certainly escalates an already successful tournament to world status and gives local gamers the international exposure each of them dreams of.”
The Cup will be played on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Players will be divided into eight pools per platform, with a maximum of 64 players per pool, for a total of 512 contestants per platform.
The total prize pool for this year is more than R1.5 million, with the winner on each platform receiving a whopping R400 000.
We asked Mkhize for more details about the event.
The prize money for this tournament is massive. Where does it come from?
VS Gaming is a Telkom subsidiary. The prize money for the tournament is sponsored by Telkom – the company has been supporting the eSport industry for more than 10 years.
Are there any gaming teams you think will perform particularly well?
The Orlando Pirates eSports team has an impressive lineup of FIFA players. Their squad includes last year’s winner Zuhair Ebrahim and other big hitters such as Muhammad Zaid Patel and Abubakar Ebrahim Akhalwaya.
Will the competitors be only from South Africa?
Yes, only South African citizens over the age of 18 may compete.
Will the tournament be broadcast on any channels, for example Ginx?
The event will be broadcast on SuperSport and on the VS Gaming YouTube channel.
How long does a bout usually last?
Each game lasts approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
You can register to become a part of the VS Gaming community and compete in future tournaments at vsgaming.co.za
