When you think about soccer, video games may not be the first thing to come to mind. Or better said, for most fans, games don’t come to mind at all, although soccer simulators have a niche carved out for them in the eSports scene. And the eSports Betting scene, too, as bookmakers routinely take bets on FIFA matches worldwide.
While not as popular as LoL and CounterStrike, FIFA eSports is still quite followed by viewers – largely thanks to the support of EA. These teams are the most active in the scene.
Heretics
Team Heretics is a Spanish eSports team founded in 2016 by YouTuber Jorge “Goorgo” Orejudo. The team is active in disciplines like Valorant, League of Legends, Call of Duty, and FIFA.
Over the years, the team played 12 matches in 4 tournaments, including the EA Sports Cup, and collected total prizes of $134,000. Among the most recent accolades, the team boasts a victory at the FC Pro 24 Open – Global Qualifier, the 2023 eLaLiga Final, and finishing 9th in the EA Sports Cup.
TG.NIP
Team Gullit NIP is an offshoot of Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP), a Swedish eSports club founded in 2000. The team dissolved in 2007 only to return in force a few years later. Ninjas in Pyjamas currently competes in everything from CS2 to Fortnite.
TG.NIP was founded in 2021 to bring fresh FIFA talent into the team by adding two-time European champion Levi de Weerd and FUT Champions winner Olle “Ollelito” Arbin.
Among others, the team is sponsored by ASUS ROG and Betway. Overall, they collected $75,000 in prizes.
FUTWIZ
Team FUTWIZ has been around since 2017, collecting trophy after trophy in various regional tournaments. Their top result is winning the FIFA 23 Global Series Europe Qualifier 1, tied to EthxnH (Ethan Higgins, from the UK). Team FUTWIZ has collected $180,000 in prize money from 14 matches played.
Man City eSports
This may come as a surprise to some, but Manchester City has an official eSports soccer team! Man City eSports has been around since 2016, competing in FIFA and Fortnite. It is owned by the same City Football Group that owns the soccer team (and several others).
The team played 17 ranked matches and collected around $43,000 in prize money from FIFA alone. It won two seasons in the ePremier League, in 2021 and 2024.
Fnatic
Fnatic is among the best-known eSports teams today. Based in London, it has been around since 2004, which makes it 20 years old this year. It has several divisions, including LoL, Valorant, DotA 2, and FC Online and FIFA.
The team has collected $193,014 of prize money from soccer eSports alone, from 22 ranked matches played. Its players won the FC Pro 24 Open Global Qualifiers last year and finished fifth in the eMLS League 2024 this March.
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