The 2024 FIFAe World Cup marked a significant milestone in esports history as the first tournament to feature eFootball, taking place at the Saudi Esports Federation Arena in Riyadh from December 9-12. An event showcased both console and mobile competitions, with the console tournament achieving record-breaking viewership numbers in the sports simulation category.
The console competition brought together 18 national teams competing in a 2v2 format, while the mobile tournament featured 16 nations’ top players battling it out in 1v1 matches. Both tournaments offered substantial prize pools of $100,000 each, with champions receiving $20,000 and runners-up earning $15,000.
The mobile competition crowned Malaysia’s Muhaimin “Minbappe” Razak as its inaugural champion. Razak demonstrated exceptional skill in the finals against Morocco’s Anass “AN10_Tienes” Moussa, securing a decisive victory through superior tactical play across two games.
console tournament
The console tournament garnered particular attention for its impressive viewership metrics. Indonesia made history by securing their second title of the year, following Rahmat “Miracle” Taufiq’s victory in the Football Manager competition earlier in 2024. The Indonesian team, comprising Akbar Paudie, Rizky Faidan, and Elga Cahya, triumphed over Brazil in an intense final match with a 2-0 series score.
The tournament reached its peak viewership of 414,928 concurrent viewers during the final match, setting a new record for sports simulation esports in 2024. This figure surpassed the previous record held by FC Pro 24 Open by 30%. The event accumulated 946,380 hours watched and maintained an average viewership of 50,251 across its 19-hour broadcast duration.
While initial viewership was modest during the first two days, the tournament saw exponential growth in its final stages, driven primarily by Indonesian viewers. The event’s popularity was also evident in Portuguese and English-speaking regions, with these three language groups accounting for over 98% of total watch time.
This tournament’s success reflects the growing popularity of football simulation esports, particularly in Asia. The restructuring of event formats and tournament calendars appears to have contributed significantly to the increasing viewership numbers in this gaming segment.