The quest to be crowned South Africa’s best FIFA 17 player will reach its conclusion this month, as the top eight players from across the country take to the virtual pitch on 26 November to be awarded the prestigious title of Kwesé Sports’ African Championship eSports (ACE) champion. By Staff Writer
ACE has been the biggest FIFA tournament in the country, with more than 850 entries received between Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The final leg of the tournament will see four players from Cape Town go head-to-head against four players from Johannesburg, and competitors will progress to the grand final match through a double elimination system.
“As Kwesé ACE reaches the pinnacle of the tournament, with almost 600 hopefuls competing in the elimination rounds, it just further proves that eSports are making a huge impact in the world of gaming – not only internationally, but also in South Africa,” said Joseph Hundah, Chief Executive Officer of Econet Media.
“We are captivated by the amount of skill and determination from all the participants, and although this is the culmination of the current tournament, the high level of interest has ensured that many more such tournaments will be held in the future in South Africa. Hopefully next year we will be able to break through the 1000-player ceiling for a local FIFA tournament,” he concluded.
Jo Kruger, Xbox Retail Marketing Manager at Microsoft South Africa, added that the ACE tournament is a big driver for eSports in the country.
“Whether you are a seasoned gaming pro or simply just a casual gamer, we want to unleash competitive gaming for everyone. The ACE tournament has been a big step for the future of competitive console gaming in South Africa as well as a giant leap for the growth of the local eSports scene.”
Following the initial four matches in the final, players relegated to the losers’ bracket will have to beat the players in the winners’ bracket twice, in order to come in contention for winning the overall championship.
The prize pool for the ACE final will total R60 000, with R25 000 going to the overall winner on the day, R15 000 for second place, R7 000 for third, and R3 000 for fourth place. There will also be a R10 000 prize in a finalist bonus round.
For those that can’t make it to the finals, the tournament will be streamed live on KweséSports’ Facebook page. Streaming on the Facebook page will start at 13:00 and will run until 14:30, with the final match between the two best FIFA players taking place at 14:00.
