The retro gaming bar around the corner and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park felt like an appropriate backdrop as the gaming and sporting worlds collided in the eChampions League 2023 group stage this weekend. The prestigious esports tournament kicked off with the first of the offline stages, as 64 elite FIFA 23 players travelled to the Here East theatre in London’s Stratford to compete.
With the players preferring PlayStation controllers to shin pads for and opting for the comfort of sliders over football boots, this felt like a different universe to you usual Champions League event. That said, the immense pressure and visceral emotion remained very much the same.
Inside the studio, six players were on stage for the broadcast’s highlighted matches, while the remaining 26 players in Group A were crammed together in what is dubbed ‘the pit’: a double-sided row of chairs and monitors where they compete simultaneously. The general public weren’t allowed in at this stage so as the first matches got underway, the silence that took over the tension filled-room felt oddly reminiscent of lockdown-era football. That was until the goals began to fly in.
“Vamos!”
“Oui!”
“Come on!”
Short but explosive celebrations would suddenly burst through from every corner of the room, as if fireworks were being let off throughout the studio. Drama was inevitable as all the emotions of two legs of football were condensed into about 20 minutes of action-packed games of FIFA. Plus, there were 16 of those enthralling bouts happening all at once.
The retro gaming bar around the corner and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park felt like an appropriate backdrop as the gaming and sporting worlds collided in the eChampions League 2023 group stage this weekend. The prestigious esports tournament kicked off with the first of the offline stages, as 64 elite FIFA 23 players travelled to the Here East theatre in London’s Stratford to compete.
With the players preferring PlayStation controllers to shin pads for and opting for the comfort of sliders over football boots, this felt like a different universe to you usual Champions League event. That said, the immense pressure and visceral emotion remained very much the same.
Inside the studio, six players were on stage for the broadcast’s highlighted matches, while the remaining 26 players in Group A were crammed together in what is dubbed ‘the pit’: a double-sided row of chairs and monitors where they compete simultaneously. The general public weren’t allowed in at this stage so as the first matches got underway, the silence that took over the tension filled-room felt oddly reminiscent of lockdown-era football. That was until the goals began to fly in.
“Vamos!”
“Oui!”
“Come on!”
Short but explosive celebrations would suddenly burst through from every corner of the room, as if fireworks were being let off throughout the studio. Drama was inevitable as all the emotions of two legs of football were condensed into about 20 minutes of action-packed games of FIFA. Plus, there were 16 of those enthralling bouts happening all at once.
The nervous energy grew as the day went on and players began to be eliminated; the overwhelming relief/irritation at the end of every round was palpable. Every player, watched by referees, was required to stay seated after their games to avoid distracting those still playing, but the overpowering stress made that a near-impossible task for most.
Every competitor came into the day knowing they would need to win three two-legged games to advance; three losses would mean elimination. And because every player was drawn against another with a matching record, winning meant that subsequent games would only get tougher. And unlike footballers, who have at least a week to prepare for their next Champions League fixture, these pros had just 15 minutes to reset and regain their composure.
As soon as the full-time whistle went, you could see most players pulling up replays of their last match to quickly analyse how they were playing. Some even had coaches in attendance, who would jot down notes and timestamps so that they could highlight mistakes and good passages of play. Meanwhile, others brought girlfriends, siblings and friends for moral support. One group of friends could be seen dancing along to the in-game celebrations, while one father watched on proudly as his son took part in his first professional tournament.
However, some did not get to ride those highs and, instead, watched their dreams slip away. In the fifth and final round, where many were fighting to survive, the last-minute elimination of one player proved too much for his coach, who proceeded to nail his chair with a volley that would make Robin van Persie proud.
The brutal reality of any prestigious tournament is that many will never reach that final stage.
The players who did qualify for the knockouts inched closer to the finals in Istanbul, but spare a thought for those who committed to hundreds of hours of practice but will have to wait a year for another opportunity.
The retro gaming bar around the corner and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park felt like an appropriate backdrop as the gaming and sporting worlds collided in the eChampions League 2023 group stage this weekend. The prestigious esports tournament kicked off with the first of the offline stages, as 64 elite FIFA 23 players travelled to the Here East theatre in London’s Stratford to compete.
With the players preferring PlayStation controllers to shin pads for and opting for the comfort of sliders over football boots, this felt like a different universe to you usual Champions League event. That said, the immense pressure and visceral emotion remained very much the same.
Inside the studio, six players were on stage for the broadcast’s highlighted matches, while the remaining 26 players in Group A were crammed together in what is dubbed ‘the pit’: a double-sided row of chairs and monitors where they compete simultaneously. The general public weren’t allowed in at this stage so as the first matches got underway, the silence that took over the tension filled-room felt oddly reminiscent of lockdown-era football. That was until the goals began to fly in.
“Vamos!”
“Oui!”
“Come on!”
Short but explosive celebrations would suddenly burst through from every corner of the room, as if fireworks were being let off throughout the studio. Drama was inevitable as all the emotions of two legs of football were condensed into about 20 minutes of action-packed games of FIFA. Plus, there were 16 of those enthralling bouts happening all at once.
The retro gaming bar around the corner and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park felt like an appropriate backdrop as the gaming and sporting worlds collided in the eChampions League 2023 group stage this weekend. The prestigious esports tournament kicked off with the first of the offline stages, as 64 elite FIFA 23 players travelled to the Here East theatre in London’s Stratford to compete.
With the players preferring PlayStation controllers to shin pads for and opting for the comfort of sliders over football boots, this felt like a different universe to you usual Champions League event. That said, the immense pressure and visceral emotion remained very much the same.
Inside the studio, six players were on stage for the broadcast’s highlighted matches, while the remaining 26 players in Group A were crammed together in what is dubbed ‘the pit’: a double-sided row of chairs and monitors where they compete simultaneously. The general public weren’t allowed in at this stage so as the first matches got underway, the silence that took over the tension filled-room felt oddly reminiscent of lockdown-era football. That was until the goals began to fly in.
“Vamos!”
“Oui!”
“Come on!”
Short but explosive celebrations would suddenly burst through from every corner of the room, as if fireworks were being let off throughout the studio. Drama was inevitable as all the emotions of two legs of football were condensed into about 20 minutes of action-packed games of FIFA. Plus, there were 16 of those enthralling bouts happening all at once.
The retro gaming bar around the corner and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park felt like an appropriate backdrop as the gaming and sporting worlds collided in the eChampions League 2023 group stage this weekend. The prestigious esports tournament kicked off with the first of the offline stages, as 64 elite FIFA 23 players travelled to the Here East theatre in London’s Stratford to compete.
With the players preferring PlayStation controllers to shin pads for and opting for the comfort of sliders over football boots, this felt like a different universe to you usual Champions League event. That said, the immense pressure and visceral emotion remained very much the same.
Inside the studio, six players were on stage for the broadcast’s highlighted matches, while the remaining 26 players in Group A were crammed together in what is dubbed ‘the pit’: a double-sided row of chairs and monitors where they compete simultaneously. The general public weren’t allowed in at this stage so as the first matches got underway, the silence that took over the tension filled-room felt oddly reminiscent of lockdown-era football. That was until the goals began to fly in.
“Vamos!”
“Oui!”
“Come on!”
Short but explosive celebrations would suddenly burst through from every corner of the room, as if fireworks were being let off throughout the studio. Drama was inevitable as all the emotions of two legs of football were condensed into about 20 minutes of action-packed games of FIFA. Plus, there were 16 of those enthralling bouts happening all at once.
The nervous energy grew as the day went on and players began to be eliminated; the overwhelming relief/irritation at the end of every round was palpable. Every player, watched by referees, was required to stay seated after their games to avoid distracting those still playing, but the overpowering stress made that a near-impossible task for most.
Every competitor came into the day knowing they would need to win three two-legged games to advance; three losses would mean elimination. And because every player was drawn against another with a matching record, winning meant that subsequent games would only get tougher. And unlike footballers, who have at least a week to prepare for their next Champions League fixture, these pros had just 15 minutes to reset and regain their composure.
As soon as the full-time whistle went, you could see most players pulling up replays of their last match to quickly analyse how they were playing. Some even had coaches in attendance, who would jot down notes and timestamps so that they could highlight mistakes and good passages of play. Meanwhile, others brought girlfriends, siblings and friends for moral support. One group of friends could be seen dancing along to the in-game celebrations, while one father watched on proudly as his son took part in his first professional tournament.
However, some did not get to ride those highs and, instead, watched their dreams slip away. In the fifth and final round, where many were fighting to survive, the last-minute elimination of one player proved too much for his coach, who proceeded to nail his chair with a volley that would make Robin van Persie proud.
The brutal reality of any prestigious tournament is that many will never reach that final stage.
The players who did qualify for the knockouts inched closer to the finals in Istanbul, but spare a thought for those who committed to hundreds of hours of practice but will have to wait a year for another opportunity.
The retro gaming bar around the corner and the nearby Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park felt like an appropriate backdrop as the gaming and sporting worlds collided in the eChampions League 2023 group stage this weekend. The prestigious esports tournament kicked off with the first of the offline stages, as 64 elite FIFA 23 players travelled to the Here East theatre in London’s Stratford to compete.
With the players preferring PlayStation controllers to shin pads for and opting for the comfort of sliders over football boots, this felt like a different universe to you usual Champions League event. That said, the immense pressure and visceral emotion remained very much the same.
Inside the studio, six players were on stage for the broadcast’s highlighted matches, while the remaining 26 players in Group A were crammed together in what is dubbed ‘the pit’: a double-sided row of chairs and monitors where they compete simultaneously. The general public weren’t allowed in at this stage so as the first matches got underway, the silence that took over the tension filled-room felt oddly reminiscent of lockdown-era football. That was until the goals began to fly in.
“Vamos!”
“Oui!”
“Come on!”
Short but explosive celebrations would suddenly burst through from every corner of the room, as if fireworks were being let off throughout the studio. Drama was inevitable as all the emotions of two legs of football were condensed into about 20 minutes of action-packed games of FIFA. Plus, there were 16 of those enthralling bouts happening all at once.
