West Ham United’s official eSports player Jamboo has expressed his delight at qualifying for the first FIFA 19 FUT Champions Cup tournament of the season.
Jamboo went through a gruelling series of knock-out fixtures, having reached the qualifiers after earning FUT Champions Verified status, reaching the final on Sunday evening.
In the best-of-three series final, the West Ham player secured wins in the opening two games, defeating his opponent via a penalty shoot-out in the first match before a last-minute goal secured the second game, and the overall victory.
And the result means that Jamboo will play at the first of six EA Sports FIFA 19 FUT Champions Cup competitions scheduled for this season.
There were 22 places at the tournament finals in November, and hundreds of people were involved in the qualifiers across Europe, so it’s crazy to think I’m one of those 22.
Jamboo
“I’m absolutely thrilled to reach the Champions Cup,” Jamboo told whufc.com. “There were 22 places at the tournament finals in November, and hundreds of people were involved in the qualifiers across Europe, so it’s crazy to think I’m one of those 22.
“Just getting to the qualifying stage is really hard. When you think about the quality of players in the UK alone, and then add to that the whole of Europe, it’s mad. I’m really excited to play at the first major EA event of the year.”
Jamboo’s place at the competition in November was gained after a weekend filled with qualifiers, a process the Hammers’ eSports representative admits was hard work.
“Each of the seven games on Saturday was two-legged, and then the knock-outs were on Sunday, so it was a difficult and long weekend,” Jamboo continued. “It really takes a lot of focus. Just qualifying for one of these tournaments is an achievement in itself.
“When I got to those knock-outs I actually lost my first game, so I had to win the next one or I was completely out. Thankfully, I was able to. To be honest, it was really tough and intense, and I’m glad my hard work paid off.”
The location for November’s event is yet to be confirmed, with previous competitions being held in the likes of Paris, Berlin and Barcelona.
Jamboo is eager to represent the Irons at the FUT Champions Cup, and is already preparing his training regime for the tournament.
He added: “It’s the first event of the year and I’m really looking forward to representing West Ham United and competing for the prize pool. Hopefully I can get some good results.
“I’m already looking at doing some form of FIFA 19 boot camp to prepare. I will look at things like different tactics for different scenarios. There will be a lot of FIFA 19 played. The hard work starts now!”