The world’s best FIFA 19 players will be heading to the O2 Arena in London to compete in the FIFA eWorld Cup 2019™ to determine the world champion in the popular esports league. Thirty-two of the best FIFA competitors will face off for not only bragging rights but for a cool $250,000 US cash prize ($500,000 US total pool) and a trip to the 2019 Best FIFA Football Awards. With the tourney just days away on August 2, here are the odds and storylines to follow ahead of the competition.
Bet on all your favorite esports and find FIFA eWorld Cup betting odds at Odds Shark.
The Favorite
The competition has never featured such a high level of talent as the 2019 tournament.
Donovan “Tekkz” Hunt on The F2 has had a dream season. The Xbox One player has been far and away the most dominant player in the field. The U.K. native has earned eight medal finishes in tourney play, winning five times and earning a reported $192,750. Tekkz earned first-place wins at the cross-platform at PGL Masters Bucharest 2019, the FUT Champions Cup in February and March, and won the FIFA eClub World Cup 2019 with King eSports.
Really, the only thing left for Tekkz to accomplish in his career is to win the championship. Winning the tourney would be an exclamation point on one heck of a season where he decimated opponents on a regular basis. With a victory in the eWorld Cup, Tekkz would be in the conversation among the greatest competitive FIFA players ever.
At +170, Tekkz has the best odds to win the FIFA eWorld Cup and is the favorite for good reason. It is his tournament to lose.
Behind Tekkz, there is a solid selection of players who will make his road to his first championship a challenge.
The Challengers
With the second-best odds to win the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Final at +350, Nicolas “nicolas99fc” Villalba is the biggest challenger for Tekkz’s top spot.
The 19-year-old Argentine has enjoyed a great season with FC Pasel 1893. As the league’s top-ranked Playstation player, Villalba picked up three tourney wins this season, teaming up with Tekkz to win the FIFA eClub World Cup 2019. His biggest win came at the FIFA Global Series 2019 Playoffs for Playstation, where his top finish earned him a $75,000 prize.
Villalba has the best chance to push Tekkz out of the top spot as champion. It won’t be easy, but winning the eWorld Cup is not out of the question. In fact, it’s a real possibility for the teenager.
One player who also should not be counted out is Mossad “Msdossary” Aldossary. Msdossary at +1000 is a smart FIFA eWorld Cup pick. He is looking to become the first-ever back-to-back FIFA eWorld Cup champion after winning the Grand Final in dominant fashion in 2018. Msdossary told FIFA back in April he’s up to the challenge.
“I want more and more,” Msdossary told FIFA’s official YouTube page. “I really want to go back and win it again this year because no one has done back-to-back world championships. I’m looking forward to it.”
The Saudi Arabian Xbox One player picked up first place at the FUT Champions Cup April – Finals, beating Tekkz 6-4 in the Xbox One tourney, and earned a cool $50,000 with a 5-1 victory in a cross-platform finale win against Maestro. Counting out last season’s champion would be a big mistake. His rivalry with Tekkz is a storyline worth watching.
Rounding out the favorites is Team Vitality’s Ceretin “Maestro” Thuillier. The France native has had an up-and-down season which saw him finish with two first-place finishes but featured an upset loss in the Round of 16 during the FIFA Global Series 2019 Playoffs on PS4. He checks in with +1000 odds.
| Player | Odds at Sportsbook |
|---|---|
| Tekkz | +170 |
| nicolas99fc | +350 |
| Maestro | +1000 |
| Msdossary | +1000 |
| Stefano Pinna | +1200 |
| Lev Vinken | +1200 |
| MegaBit | +1300 |
| Mo Auba | +1400 |
| DaXe | +1400 |
| Stokes | +1400 |
| Ustun | +1500 |
| tuga810 | +2000 |
| Dani | +2000 |
| Nraseck | +2500 |
| Resende | +2500 |
| GoalMachine | +2500 |
| Rafsou | +4000 |
| NYC Chris | +4000 |
| Joksan | +4000 |
| Janoz | +6600 |
| DrErhano | +6600 |
| Ebinho | +10000 |
| Marko | +10000 |
Odds as of August 1 at Sportsbook
Tournament format
The eWorld Cup will feature a format of four groups of eight in two-leg matches. Four winners from each group will move on to the next round. From there, it goes to eight in the quarterfinals, and four in the semifinals. The semis will determine the best Playstation and Xbox One player, with those two winners facing off for the championship.
The Prize Pool
The FIFA eWorld Cup 2019 features a total prize pool of $500,000 with all 32 players at least earning the minimum $750 US bottom-tier prize. The prize pool represents a $100,000 increase from last year’s championship. Here is how the prize winnings will be distributed in the tournament.
- $250,000 US and invitation to The Best FIFA Football Awards
- Runner-up: $100,000 US (up from $50,000 in 2018)
- 3rd - 4th place: $25,000 US (up from $20,000 in 2018)
- 5th - 8th place: $12,000 US (up from $10,000 in 2018)
- 9th - 16th place: $5,000 US (up from $2,500 in 2018)
- 17th - 32nd place: $750 US.
Where to Watch?
Fox Sports’ Caffeine TV will broadcast the tournament after agreeing to a multi-year deal with FIFA earlier this year. The final will be live on FS2. The eWorld Cup will also be streamed live on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, FIFA.GG and Twitch. The eWorld Cup will be streamed in six different languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic.
Viewership
In 2018, the Grand Final tournament generated more than 29 million views across online platforms during a three-day event, according to FIFA.com. Peak concurrent viewership during that span was 322,000 viewers across 12 online platforms.
In 2019, EA Sports revealed viewership hit a record high in views with 61 million total views and 11 million viewing hours (up 61%) as of June 21, 2019. In total, viewership grew 25 percent from 2018-19.
With that type of growth, expect the 2019 viewership numbers to continue to dwarf 2018’s performance.
For those looking to get a special look at EA Sports FIFA 20, fans in London will get the chance to play the early version of the latest instalment of the popular sports series.
