The FC Pro 24 Open recently concluded after more than two months of intense competition. This Open tournament served as the inaugural stage in the EA Sports FC 24 esports series. Determining the top 4 players who will advance to the FC Pro World Championship. The viewership of the Open event indicates a promising outlook for the rest of the season, as the fusion of football and esports continues to attract a growing audience.
Comprising three stages, the EA Sports FC 24 esports circuit introduces a streamlined season and a revamped program for the rebranded football gaming title.
The FC Pro 24 Open played a crucial role in identifying the best teams globally, paving the way for the upcoming FC Pro Leagues. These Pro Leagues, spanning two months across various locations worldwide, will determine the final 28 players who will compete in the World Championship. Notably, 2024 marks the inaugural EA-hosted World Championship, providing organizers with an opportunity to rebrand and restructure the esports landscape.
Viewership statistics for the FC Pro 24 Open reveal impressive figures, with the event generating over 6 million hours of watched content. This achievement solidifies its status as the most-watched FIFA event in esports history, doubling the watch time of the second-highest event in our database, the FUT Champions Cup Barcelona 2018.
The most popular matches occurred during the early weeks of the season, a common trend in esports events where excitement peaks during the initial stages. Despite an absence of a resurgence in viewership during the Playoffs structure, the event maintained a consistently high average viewership. The availability of Drops, allowing viewers with EA-linked Twitch or YouTube accounts to earn in-game rewards, significantly contributed to this success. Drops have proven to be an effective method for boosting viewership in both esports events and gaming in general.
The Week 1 match between German Umut and Dutchie EmreYilmaz emerged as the most popular, reaching 319.5K Peak Viewers.
EmreYilmaz’s qualification for the World Championship, alongside LevideWeerd, Vejrgang of Denmark, and the champion PHzin of Brazil, added to the event’s overall appeal. Despite the early peak in viewership, the event continued to impress compared to previous FIFA tournaments.
The FC Pro 24 Open secured its place among the top three most popular FIFA tournaments ever, with the 319.5K Peak Viewers ranking it closely behind the FIFA 21 Challenge event featuring English footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold. The ultimate FIFA event, however, was the FC Pro 24 Open – Global Qualifier, where 64 of the world’s best gamers competed for a spot in the Open tournament. This shorter event, lasting only one weekend, achieved a stronger peak viewership due to its condensed format.
In summary, both the recent FC Pro 24 Open and the FC Pro 24 Open – Global Qualifier events achieved remarkably high peak viewership, with the former becoming the most-watched FIFA event ever. With over 6 million hours watched, the newly rebranded FC Pro 24 esports circuit is poised for significant success for EA. As the Pro League circuits commence, Esports Charts users can track individual data for each region within the Tournaments database.
