The Play Like a Legend Championship is the most premier FIFA eSports competition in Europe and we’re excited to share the official details surrounding the tournament.
In announcing the news, Ben Wyer-Roberts, Xbox EMEA Esports Lead said; “‘Following the success of the programme in 2015, Xbox is very happy to be partnering with Gfinity to deliver the Play Like a Legend Championships 2016. Across the board, the Gfinity team have the technical capability and esports pedigree to deliver the top level esports experience that Xbox players deserve. The Play Like a Legend tournament gives the best FIFA Ultimate Team players the opportunity to prove themselves and we’re building towards crowning a new Ultimate Champion at the Gfinity Arena London on May 8th.”
The Gfinity Arena will play host to a total of three season finals; Season 1 on 13th February with a $7,000 prize pool, Season 2 on 26th March again with a $7,000 prize pool and the 2016 Grand Final – Season 3 – on 7th and 8th May with a $15,000 prize pool.
Launching today, Gfinity.net [www.gfinity.net/legends] will open its scouting network as the official FIFA 16 Play Like a Legend qualifier cups open for registration!
Neville Upton, Chief Executive Officer of Gfinity, said: “We are delighted to be asked for a second consecutive year to host the European FIFA Play Like a Legend Championship. This is a testament to our growing reputation of hosting highly successful eSports tournaments. We are grateful that Microsoft recognize this and continue to see Gfinity as the ideal platform to host such tournaments. FIFA continues to be one of the most popular titles within our community and has helped us drive growth in key territories including UK, France and Germany.”
The 2105 Play Like a Legend Championship saw thousands of participants enter the competition over the course of three seasons, issued over $25,000 in prize pool, generated three champions and created the birth of one legacy, Spencer ‘A Huge Gorilla’ Ealing, who rose through the ranks to claim the title of Play Like a Legend Champion in his inaugural rookie year.
This announcement marks Gfinity and Microsoft’s second partnership for events to be held in 2016, following Gfinity’s recent announcement of its appointment to exclusively host the UK Halo World Championship 2016 qualifiers and finals.
Tournament format:
Online qualifier cups:
· Monday – 1,000 series
· Wednesday – 2,000 series
· Friday – Alternative 5,000/10,000 series
Upon the conclusion of the final online cup on January 29th the Play Like a Legend Season 1 leaderboard will freeze at 12:00am GMT on January 31st. The Top 12 players who have amassed the most Gfinity Points total will successfully receive an invitation to the Play Like a Legend Season 1 finals, held at the Gfinity Arena.
A full regional invitation breakdown can found below:
· #1 PLAL Highest Leaderboard Rank
· Top 3 Placing UK PLAL Ranks
· Top 3 Placing France PLAL Ranks
· Top 3 Placing Rest of Europe Ranks (Excluding the UK, France and Germany)
· Top 1 Placing German PLAL Rank
· One Wildcard
A full prize pool breakdown for each season can also be found below:
Season 1 and Season 2 Prize Pool Breakdown:
· 1st – $4,000, Xbox Elite Controller, FIFA Points, FIFA 16 Legend, 12 Months Xbox Live Membership & 12 Months EA Access
· 2nd – $2,000, FIFA Points & 12 Months EA Access
· 3rd – $1,000 & FIFA Points
Season 3 Grand Final Prize Pool Breakdown:
· 1st – $10,000, Xbox Elite Controller, FIFA Points, FIFA 16 Legend, 12 Months Xbox Live Membership & 12 Months EA Access
· 2nd – $3,500, FIFA Points & 12 Months EA Access
· 3rd – $1,500 & FIFA Points