Gaming
esports
Are football teams any good at eSports?
Big football clubs have been signing up eSports players and teams, but how are they performing?
With eSports predicted to reach 600 million viewers by 2020, it’s easy to see why football clubs want to get involved in the scene. In fact, Newzoo analyst Peter Warman recently told the BBC that competitive gaming “has the potential to be one of the top five sports in the world.”
PSG, West Ham and Wolfsburg are big names in football, but they are competing with eSports giants such as Fnatic, G2 and SK-Gaming. So, how are these clubs getting on? Let's find out...
Paris Saint-Germain
DaXe won ESWC 2017
© PSG
Which games do they play?
How are they doing?
The League of Legends team have reached the European Challenger Series playoffs and must defeat Fnatic Academy on Sunday for a chance of promotion to the EU LCS.
The FIFA players have had mixed results. Shortly after signing, DaXe won the ESWC World Championship in Paris. Agge recently won the Legia eSports Cup and Dreamhack, too.
However, both PSG players lost at the Paris Regional finals, missing their first opportunity to qualify for the FIFA Ultimate Team Championship Series. Agge was eliminated in the group stages alongside six-time Gfinity champion Spencer 'Gorilla' Ealing.
FC Schalke 04
Schalke have signed a League of Legends team
© Schalke04.de
Which games do they play?
A month later, they signed two FIFA players; six-time German and Austrian champion Mario Viska and Berliner Cihan Yasarlar. They also have Tim ‘Tim Latka’ Schwartmann and Joshua ‘Krone’ Begehr on their roster.
How are they doing?
Schalke’s debut season in the LCS did not go to plan as they finished third from bottom, putting them into a Promotion Tournament with the top Challenger teams. They lost against Misfits, who were promoted to the LCS while Schalke dropped into the Challenger Series.
Following this, Schalke signed a brand new LoL roster that was packed with LCS experience. They won all of their league games, including a series against fellow football club Paris Saint-Germain, but their bid for promotion was thwarted by Misfits once again when they shockingly lost their playoff series against Misfits Academy. Consequently, they will remain in the Challenger Series for the next split.
While the League of Legends team has struggled to reach the highest level, Schalke’s FIFA player Cihan Yasarlar has fared better, qualifying for the Ultimate Team Championship series at the first attempt after finishing runner-up in the Paris Regional finals. He lost to Tassal ‘Tass’ Rushan of Hashtag United, an amateur football team formed by Youtube star Spencer Owen.
Besiktas, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce
Which games do they play?
Besiktas were the first Turkish club to get involved in eSports when they created League of Legends team Besiktas eSports Club in 2015. Galatasaray followed suit, acquiring Victorious Ace’s spot in the Turkish Champions League, while Fenerbahce took SuperMassive TNG’s place.
How are they doing?
Besiktas initially enjoyed success, qualifying for the 2015 Mid-Season Invitational. However, in 2016 SuperMassive eSports took over their roster, and Besiktas sponsored Oyun Hizmetleri to form Besiktas OyunHizmetleri. This team was relegated from the Turkish league (TCL) and disbanded last year.
Galatasaray have also struggled and are currently rock-bottom of the TCL, but Fenerbache are fifth in the TCL at the time of writing.
FC Copenhagen
Which games do they play?
At the start of this year, Copenhagen announced their involvement in eSports when they signed Team Dignitas’ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team, rebranding them ‘North’.
How are they doing?
Very well. In their first tournament, North reached the quarter-finals of the ELeague Major 2017. They went one better in their next tournament, reaching the semi-finals of the DreamHack Masters Las Vegas.
West Ham United
FIFA pro Sean Allen signs for West Ham
© Sean Allen / Facebook
Which game do they play?
How are they doing?
Wolfsburg
Dave Bytheway in his Wolfsburg kit
© Davebtw, Facebook
Which game do they play?
How are they doing?
Veteran player SaLz0r has had a successful year at Wolfsburg, reaching the last eight of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2016, and qualifying for the Ultimate Team Championships in Berlin.
A.S. Roma
Which game do play?
Last month Roma announced their partnership with eSports giants Fnatic. They signed the FIFA players Sam ‘Poacher’ Carmody, Aman ‘Aman’ Seddiqi and Nicoló ‘Insa’ Mirra.
How are they doing?
It’s still early days for Roma but they could have a representative at the Ultimate Team Championship Series. While American player Aman was eliminated from the Miami Regional finals, he will get a second chance at the Vancouver Regional tournament on April 8. It will be broadcast by BT Sport.
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