Eight Elite FIFA 20 Players Announced For $10m Esports Charity Finale
Eight elite FIFA 20 gamers will go head to head for the sixth and final international tournament of Gamers Without Borders – a $10m esports fundraiser for COVID-19 relief efforts.
The total charity prize fund for the tournament is $1.5m donated to the winner’s charities of choice that are being supported by Gamers Without Borders to fight COVID-19.
The eight professional gamers competing this weekend (June 5-7) include Saudi Arabian star and 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup Champion, Mosaad “Msdossary” Aldossary. Joining him will be Donovan “Tekkz” Hunt a 19-year-old pro-player who has won numerous FUT 20 Champions Cup Stages in the last few years including the ePremier League 2019 (Liverpool) and FIFA eClub World Cup 2019.
Spain and Real Zaragoza’s Jaime “Gravesen” Álvarez also joins the line-up alongside the UK’s Tassal “Tass” Rushan and Manchester City’s esports star Shaun ‘Shellz’ Springette.
Former world champion and 3-time Middle East and Asia Champion Abdulaziz “MrD0ne” Alshehri (Saudi Arabia) is another major talent signed up with Polish and AS Roma esports gamer, Damian “Damie” Augustyniak and “Umut” Gültekin (Germany).
The players will face off in a GSL- style bracket format with group matches on June 5-6 and finals day on June 7 with the action starting from 19:50 CEST on each day.
Alongside the main tournament will run charity exhibition matches across the weekend (18:00 CEST) with superstar footballers Paulo Dybala, Dele Alli, Trent Alexander-Arnold, João Félix and Andre Silva. Global singing sensation and One Direction’s Liam Payne also joins the celebrity line-up.
Having run for the last six weeks, Gamers Without Borders has broken new ground for esports after uniting 300,000 gamers from 72 countries online in tournaments and series on the most popular titles in gaming, making it the biggest charity e-sports event of all time.
The unprecedented esports initiative, organized by the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS), has already seen $8.5 million donated to global charities tackling COVID-19.
These have included GAVI, UNICEF, Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRELIEF), Norwegian Refugee Council, International Telecommunications Union.
Gamers Without Borders – FIFA 20 Schedule
Friday June 5: Trent Alexander-Arnold v Liam Payne (18:00 CEST); Opening Match Group A #1 (19:50 CEST); Opening Match Group A #2 (20:35 CEST); Group A Losers Match (21:25 CEST); Group A Winners Match (22:15 CEST); Group A Decider Match (23:05 CEST).
Saturday June 6: Dele Alli v Paulo Dybala (18:00 CEST); Opening Match Group B #1 (19:50 CEST); Opening Match Group B #2 (20:35 CEST); Group B Losers Match (21:25 CEST); Group B Winners Match (22:15 CEST); Group B Decider Match (23:05 CEST).
Sunday June 7: João Félix v Andre Silva (18:00 CEST); Semifinal #1 (18:50 CEST); Semifinal #2 (19:35 CEST); Third Place Match (20:25 CEST); Showmatch 4 (21:40 CEST); Grand Finals (22:30 CEST)
The broadcast feed will also be available in seven different languages, amongst them Arabic, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin, providing a truly localized experience to reach all gaming communities across the world.
