Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Abu Dhabi)
A commentator goes screaming in excitement in the pitch dark stadium at Abu Dhabi's Al Qana Area. Al Wasl's Erling Haaland has just scored with an assist from Jude Bellingham and joining in the celebrations on the pitch and the screen above the arena is Pele among other teammates as they go 2-1 up against Sharjah. Kylian Mbappe and Ruud Gullit are disappointed as rivals.
Confused? Wasl may have had once the late Diego Maradona as coach, but having a mixed bag of old and current players from various clubs in an All-Star formation like entity is only possible in e-sports.
And so, Al Wasl, Sharjah, and 12 other clubs took part in the fourth edition of the e-UAE Pro League (e-UAEPL) with Pixoul Gaming's indoor arena serving as host to the teams, represented on the virtual pitches by one player with a personal coach in tow for everyone.
The competition was held over two days with Al Nasr's Ahmed Al Suwaidi emerging triumphant with his expert fingertips weaving magic with his chosen mixture of players and their legs.
In the process, the e-UAEPL found a new winner and the official entry to the EA Sports FC Pro world championship when he beat the defending champion Mohannad Al Masmari of Shabab Al Ahli. The final was a close affair and Al Suwaidi edged it 7-6.
Khorfakkan may be struggling in real life but on screen, they came in a respectable third through Ali Al Hammadi, who started the second day's proceedings in the knockout stages by beating Al Ain's Ahmad Ali.
Saeed Obaid Al Kaabi, a member of the UAE Pro League's board, remarked on the significant growth in the tournament's profile, citing increased engagement from clubs and fans. "This year's edition has demonstrated a notable increase in the clubs' and fans' engagement with the players and the competition, aligning with our objectives to highlight the importance and investment potential of eSports," said Al Kaabi.
The finals, broadcast live on the UAE Pro League's official Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube channels, attracted substantial viewership online and saw enthusiastic participation from live audiences at Abu Dhabi's Pixel Arena. The vibrant atmosphere was fuelled by the spirited support from fans, club representatives and boisterous commentators providing live feedback within hearing distance of the players.
As the new champion, Al Suwaidi will advance to the qualifying rounds of the World Championship, along with the cash prize of Dh15,000, while the runner-up received Dh10,000 and the third-place competitor was given Dh5,000.
The fourth edition has grown from strength to strength, and the finals culminated months of hard work from operational partners Zawaya Gaming to get the tournament through its jumps and hoops.
"The work starts three-four-months back with a call to register and come through a qualifying process," said Nabil Al Hajasad of Kuwait and co-founder of Zawaya Gaming. "Then we try to match up players with the clubs as well as coaches. There are clubs who are looking for someone to represent them or a player is doing well and seeks out a club which has confidence on him," Al Hajasad said.
So a player may be a fan of a rival club, but there are chances he may win the e-UAE Pro League for the club of his employers. The prize distribution ceremony was attended by Al Kaabi, UAE Pro League chief executive officer Waleed Al Hosani, representatives of the clubs, and others. The matches were streamed live on Youtube and Twitch platforms.
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