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Gfinity, the UK-based esports company, is bringing a new FIFA 18 tournament to the scene. The Gfinity FIFA 18 US Spring Cup will be a part of the FIFA 18 Global Series competition by serving as an official qualifier for the series.
$30,000 and more up for grabs
The event will be free to enter and exclusive to gamers coming from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico area. The winner will be awarded a share of the $30,000 prize pool and a spot in the Global Series Playoffs. This will give them a chance to become one of the 32 finalists to compete at the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 later this year.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with EA SPORTS for our maiden event in the United States,” said Gfinity CEO Neville Upton. “The US has massively embraced both football and FIFA over the past few years and we hope to see the winners of the Gfinity Spring Cup go all the way at the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018.”
Single elimination matches for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will run between April 15th and 26th. The eight best will then move on to the Gfinity FIFA 18 US Spring Cup Live Finals running between May 12th and 13th.
“We are excited to be welcoming the Gfinity Spring Cup into the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series,” said FIFA Competitive Gaming Commissioner Brent Koning. “As we continue to engage millions of FIFA players in the community, and attract viewers from all around the world, this year will be truly special as we continue on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018.”
Gfinity’s move towards a global player
Back in July, Gfinity materialized its expansion initiative in the U.S. scene when it acquired the U.S.-based esports company CEVO. The two companies have worked together in the past with CEVO supplying its tournament management system, anti-cheat system, and broadcast software to Gfinity in the past.
Additionally, the company also introduced a professional tournament in Australia the same year. A cooperation with the media and entertainment company HT&E Limited introduced the popular Elite Series competition to take place in the land down under.
Both projects, the 2.7 million acquisition and the move to Australia, are part of Gfinity’s plan to become a global player in the industry.
FIFA gaining momentum
The FIFA competitive scene has been steadily growing in the last couple of years. Not only has the scene grown in popularity, an increasing amount of professional soccer organizations are entering the scene.
Earlier this year, for example, the NA professional soccer league Major League Soccer launched its own competition for FIFA 18. The eMLS saw 19 of the 23 MLS teams sign up for the inaugural season. Just like Gfinity’s US Spring Cup, the eMLS is also part of the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 qualifiers.
Esports has been consistently delivering exciting developments and, by the looks of it, the momentum is not even close to slowing down.
