Jamie ‘Jamboo’ Rigden and ‘Yago’ Gabriel Fawaz will represent West Ham United at the second annual ePremier League finals next month.
The Xbox and PlayStation 4 players won through their respective online qualification Play-Offs on Tuesday evening, and will don Claret and Blue in front of millions of viewers at the prestigious event in search of FIFA 20 glory.
For Irons supporter Jamboo, the victory marks qualification for two ePremier League finals in a row, after narrowly missing out on a place in the knockout rounds at last season’s inaugural event.
On PS4, meanwhile, the finals will be Yago’s first domestic tournament for the Club, having joined the Hammers’ team of professional eSports players last summer.
With only one representative per console advancing to the finals, Jamboo beat West Ham teammate ‘Jas’ Singh in a closely-fought Xbox final, winning 2-1 on aggregate over two legs.
Yago, meanwhile, defeated PCosmin6 3-0 over two matches to seal his qualification.
I believe, if I play at my best on the day, I can win the event for West Ham
Jamie 'Jamboo' Rigden
Having qualified for a second consecutive year, Jamboo couldn't hold back his delight – and believes he can go all the way.
“It feels amazing to go through,” he smiled. “I’m looking forward to the chance to give a much better showing than I did last year. I believe, if I play at my best on the day, I can win the event for West Ham.”
"It'll be great to be the first Argentinian player to compete in the ePremier League," Yago added. "I'm looking forward to representing West Ham United in the biggest national FIFA event there is."
The route to qualification began in December for all 20 Premier League clubs. Competing online, registered players for West Ham vied to finish as one of the seven best PS4 and six best Xbox One players.
The Play-Offs then saw these contenders, plus West Ham United’s official eSports players, go head-to-head for the chance to take part in the ePremier League finals, with Jamboo and Yago winning out.
Last season, Jamboo and RUSTEMI92 battled through the Play-Offs and donned Claret and Blue at the finals, but were unfortunate to fall at the group stages. Top-ranked FIFA 19 player Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt went on to claim the ePL trophy for Liverpool at the Grand Final in London.
This year’s Finals tournament – which will take place over two days, 27-28 March, at London’s Gfinity Arena – will once again see West Ham’s contingent come up against 38 representatives from the other 19 Premier League clubs.
The overall ePL winner will walk away with £20,000 prize money, while the runner-up will enjoy £10,000.
The finals will be broadcast live on Sky Sports, Premier League channels and the EA SPORTS FIFA Twitch channel, after last season’s inaugural competition received almost 14 million views across the same platforms.
Don't forget to pick up your limited edition 19/20 West Ham United eSports Jersey - made for West Ham gamers everywhere - through our online store.
