Fifa eWorld Cup 2019: Live stream date, finals schedule, prize money and key players

Players compete on Xbox and Playstation games consoles in the group stages of the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final in London on 2 August 2, 2018 (AFP/Getty Images)

Less than a week after the culmination of the world’s most lucrative video game tournament, the next major finals on the eSports calendar is already upon us.

The Fifa eWorld Cup might not be able to match the scale of the Fortnite World Cup, but it will surely match the intensity. The 15th edition of the Fifa eWorld Cup is expected to be the biggest yet, with Fifa hoping to surpass the nearly 30 million fans who tuned in to watch the 2018 finals.

As the 32 best Fifa players in the world converge on the O2 in London this weekend, The Independent takes a look at everything Fifa fans need to know about this year’s tournament.

Fifa eWorld Cup schedule

The first part of the tournament will consist of four groups, each consisting of eight players. Seven rounds of matches will determine who goes through to the Round of 16, with the top four players from each group qualifying for the knock-out stages.

The Round of 16 will see the best-placed finishers of the group stages face off against the lower-placed qualifiers, with only the winners of this round going through to the Quarter-Finals. From here the winners go to the Semi-Finals and then, if they keep winning, onto the Final.

Up until the Final, players will be playing against other players on their preferred console, as the World Cup is split into two streams for Xbox and Playstation right until the final. It is then that the best Playstation player and best Xbox player face each other, with the Final consisting of a two-leg tie consisting of one match each on the Playstation and Xbox.

Day one and day two of the tournament will sort out the group stages and the Round of 16. The final day will then see the Semi-finals and Final, starting from 3.15pm on Sunday.

How to watch Fifa eWorld Cup

Anyone who doesn’t already have a ticket to watch the Fifa eWorld Cup live at the O2 in London need not fear, as there are still some available at Fifa’s website, with prices starting from £15.

Like many other eSports tournaments, Fifa has also made it as easy as possible for fans to watch the eWorld Cup.

Not only is it available to watch for free across every major live streaming platform, the proceedings will also be broadcast in six languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

The three-day event can be watched on Fifa’s own website, as well as Facebook, Twitch, Twitter and YouTube.

Some of the world’s biggest broadcasters have also bought the rights to host the tournament, including BeIN in France and the Middle East, Sky Sports in the UK, and NBCU and Telemundo in the US.

Fans can also follow the build up and action through Fifa’s various social media channels.

Key players

The world’s best 32 players are already the best of the best when it comes to Fifa, meaning any of the players has a legitimate chance of taking home the winner’s trophy.

Among the favourites are Donnovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt, Nicolas ‘Nicolas99fc’ Villalba and Corentin ‘MaestroSquad’ Thuillier, though it is difficult to look past Mossad ‘MsDossary’ Aldossary.

How the group stages for the Fifa eWorld Cup line up (Fifa)

The Saudi Arabian winner of the 2018 eWorld Cup is back in London this year to defend his crown and become the first player since the tournament began to win back-to-back world titles.

“I really want to go back and win it again this year because noone has done back-to-back world championships,” he said in an interview with Fifa earlier this year. “I’m looking forward to it.”

To do the double, MsDossary will need to beat fellow favourite Tekkz, who is currently ranked as the world’s number one Fifa player.

What is the prize money?

The 2019 prize pool for the Fifa eWorld Cup is the largest in the game’s history, with a total of $500,000 (£411,000) up for grabs. That’s $100,000 more than the prize pool from last year.

The 2018 winner of the Fifa eWorld Cup was MsDossary from Saudi Arabia (Fifa)

This may seem fairly paltry compared to the spoils on offer at last weekend’s Fortnite World Cup finals in New York last weekend, where players competed for a share of the $30m prize pool, but with less players at the Fifa eWorld Cup there is still a lot at stake.

The winner will take home a life-changing $250,000, as well as an invite to the Best Fifa Football Awards.

Second place earns a player $100,000, while semi-finalists each earn $25,000. Every player gets at least something for taking part, with 32nd place taking home $750.