FIFAe and Sports Interactive confirmed an exciting partnership that will see the first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager take place for a prize pool of $149,718.
This is a one-of-a-kind event that will bring digital and traditional football together like never before, celebrating the best esports coaches from around the world.
In the first year of this partnership, chosen member associations will be invited to the final event. Invitations will be based on eligibility and the number of players from each country, ensuring a fair and representative competition worldwide.
The final event will take place from 29 August to 1 September with the location likely to be announced in the coming weeks.
Football Manager is the landmark digital coaching game that allows players to take control of all facets of the club of their choosing, from transfers to team selection to tactics.
The game has rapidly increased in popularity over time and boasted a record seven million players inside the first 100 days of Football Manager 2024’s launch, after cracking a million streams for the first time in the 2021 edition.
However despite the games popularity, it doesn’t have a robust esports ecosystem and lacks the one-on-one competitiveness of their online video game competitors like EAFC and eFootball.
Former Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger who is the Chief of Global Football Development at FIFA, has been appointed as the tournament’s ambassador.
Wenger explained the event and ramped up the excitement with a statement and an announcement video.
“I look forward to being part of this exciting new journey. This competition requires participants to demonstrate a profound understanding of football strategy and tactics. Success demands not only mastery of game mechanics but also in-depth football knowledge, making this format a fascinating blend,” Wenger said in a FIFA press release.
“At FIFA, we are dedicated to developing coaches and coaching techniques to give every talent a chance, so I look forward to seeing the best esports coaches from around the world compete at this event and contribute to the global advancement of football management and talent development.”
With more content on the way on the FIFAe social media channels, there is a real excitement about this groundbreaking event that combines one of the fastest growing football video games with a first-time competitive aspect, which will pit the world’s finest gaming tacticians against each other.