Through a press release, Konami officially presented the eFootball Italia Cup, a new competition dedicated to fans and seven of the best Italian clubs
While the eFootball launch was anything but idyllic, Konami definitely does not give up the blow of what has been a real rebranding of PES, and is trying to create update after update a title that can compete over time with the giant that is FIFA. And through a press release, Konami announced the launch of a new export tournament: the “eFootball Italia Cup”. It is a tournament based in Italy that will see the integration of eFootball partner clubs, players from their youth teams, important pro-players and, above all, fans. It represents an export opportunity for KONAMI and for football simulation.
What is that?
The tournament will see three different players join forces to form a team and represent each of the competing clubs. These will be: a player selected from the club’s youth team, a pro-player who is currently part of the club’s esports team and a fan of the club selected from an online qualifying tournament. This unique team, made up of elite players and amateurs, together with the youth selection, represents a first-of-its-kind fusion unlike anything else seen in the current landscape of football simulation esports. KONAMI is also pleased to announce that all seven of its Italy-based eFootball™ partner clubs will participate in the “eFootball Italy Cup”. These are AC Milan, AC Monza, AS Roma, Atalanta BC, FC Internazionale Milano, SS Lazio and SSC Napoli.
How does it work? | Konami presents the eFootball Italia Cup with a trailer: here are the details!
Before the seven clubs battle it out for the title of champions of the “eFootball Italia Cup”, there will be the selections of the three representatives. First, each club will hold an internal esports tournament among players from their youth academies to determine one of the representatives. This tournament will be accompanied by a seminar by the KONAMI eFootball Activations team that will provide an overview of the ever-changing world of esports and video games.
Secondly, a tournament within each club between their respective pro-players to determine who will represent them on the team. Thirdly, eFootball™ will operate an in-game online tournament for all Italian players called “KONAMICI”, an Italian-only event within eFootball 2023. Players can register to compete online and the tournament will last a total of two weeks. It is not necessary to be an eFootball veteran to participate in the tournament, no previous experience is required. Every fan can register online and select the team he wishes to represent. From here, they’ll play a minimum of 30 matches online against other fans of the selected club, earning points match after match. The online leaderboard will determine the best representatives.
The top finishers from each club will then progress to the knockout stage, also played online. The winner for each club will then complete the squad, along with the youth academy winner and pro-player. Together they will represent their club in the “eFootball Italia Cup”. Each KONAMICI winner will not only be able to represent their club in an internationally broadcast esports tournament, but will be able to enjoy unique experiences and receive exclusive prizes from both KONAMI and the club represented. KONAMICI will take place only on Playstation®4 and Playstation®5 and will be free-to-play.
The calendar | Konami presents the eFootball Italia Cup with a trailer: here are the details!
The “eFootball Italia Cup” is one new form of esports competition with many different elements coming together to bring it to life. The qualifiers and selections for the clubs’ representative teams and the resulting tournament will take place in stages between December 2022 and April 2023. KONAMICI’s qualification phase will start in February, allowing all fans to qualify for the final rounds. The knockout finals will conclude by the end of March 2023.
Once the three-player squads that will represent the clubs have been confirmed, an offline group stage will begin in which the clubs will compete to determine their position in their respective groups. This phase will be broadcast by the “Coppa eFootball Italia” studio. This stage will affect the knockout draw in Grand Final weekend, ad aprile. Finally, once the rankings in the various groups have been established, the clubs will be drawn for the quarter-finals. From there, it will be a single-elimination tournament with two semi-finals, a third place play-off (between the two clubs losing their respective semi-finals) and a grand final.
Il Grand Final weekend it will be an offline and live event hosted at Napoli COMICON on the weekend of April 28 – May 1, 2023. The winning club will be awarded the grand prize, which includes a multimedia eFootball gaming-centre that will be implemented in their youth academy training complex. For the entire duration of the tournament, the “eFootball TV”, an episodic series recorded in the studio of the “eFootball Italia Cup” will be available on the official eFootball YouTube channel.
Great predictions!
And that was all about the schedule, calendar and predictions of the eFootball Italia Cup created by Konami. Let us know what you think and if you participate in the comments below, we will continue to keep you updated with all the videogame and tech-themed news, guides and reviews! And if you are interested in game keys at advantageous prices, we advise you to take a look at the InstantGaming catalogue!