The 2023 FC Pro Open Global Qualifier drew to a close on Sunday night, with the final eight players sealing their spots in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
There are plenty of familiar faces among the 20 qualifiers, along with some new names and rising stars who grasped their opportunity on the biggest of stages.
Group 3 Results
The final day began with action from Group 3, dubbed the 'Group of Death' by many after the knockout round draw was made.
Group 3 was comprised of Global Qualifier invitees Bonanno, Vejrgang, Emre Yilmaz and Umut - with BerkayLion, Dsaanchez, Cameronrock and xcharifx also competing.
The first match of the night pitted two of the world's best players against each other, as 2023 eChampions League winner Emre Yilmaz faced off against eLaLiga champion, Bonanno.
In a closely found contest, Argentine Bonanno sealed a 3-2 win, setting up another blockbuster tie with Vejrgang in the second round.
Bonanno impressed yet again to safely qualify for the FC Pro Open, beating the RBLZ Gaming star 5-3 - and winning the Sony Player of the Day award in the process.
Speaking afterwards, the Manchester City man said: "Today, my first game was kind of difficult because I was a little cold. But the second one I got my place."
After being drawn in Group 2 for the FC Pro Open alongside fellow South Americans PHzin and FacuCowen, he remarked: "Yesterday Phzin was telling me 'I'm certain we're going to play in the same group', and it actually happened!
"[But] I'm happy that it happened, any group is difficult and I'm happy I qualified." Bonnano also ensured Man City would have two representatives in the final 20 - after Tekkz's qualification on Saturday.
On the other side of the draw, German invitee Umut enjoyed the most stress-free route to the FC Pro Open of any player so far - having beaten compatriot BerkayLion and Cameronrock 3-1 and 9-1 respectively on Sunday night.
The 20-year-old's 9-1 victory turned out to be the biggest winning margin of the entire knockout round - in what was his biggest signal of intent so far this season.
Speaking after his big win, Umut said: "On Friday I didn't play so well, but I also know even if I'm not playing my best I can go through the Swiss [Stage]. I played really good today [Sunday], so I'm really confident".
While Umut and Bonanno secured their spots among the 20 qualifiers early in the evening, others had to wait to book their places.
Denmark's Vejrgang went into a decisive third game on Sunday needing a win over Virtual Bundesliga rival BerkayLion. After a tense first half, it was Vejrgang who showed his quality late on to secure a 7-3 win - and passage to the FC Pro Open.
On the other side of the lower bracket draw, Dutchman Emre Yilmaz ensured that all four Global Qualifier invitees made it through, after beating Cameronrock 5-0 in their winner-takes-all clash.
Group 4 Results
While Group 3 courted much of the attention heading into Sunday, the most exciting action on the night took place in the final hour as Group 4 drew to a close.
Competing for the final four places in the FC Pro Open were Lukas, Albertss JistenNSQ, Kekkova, The1OS, AbuMakkah, MUAE14 and Happy.
In the first round of knockout matches, Lukas and JistenNSQ progressed after scoring six goals each - to set up an all-German clash in the next round.
As fate would have it, the two Saudi Arabian players in Group D - The1OS and AbuMakkah - also won their first games to set up another domestic tie in the following round.
In the first Bracket A Semi-final, Lukas - who was the only player at the Global Qualifier to select Pele in the draft - made expert use of the Brazilian legend, who bagged a hat-trick to help the Hansa Rostock man seal a 5-2 win over his compatriot JistenNSQ.
Remarkably, this was the first time Lukas had managed to qualify for an elite LAN tournament - underlining the scale of his achievement.
By contrast, the all-Saudi clash proved to be a much tighter affair, but it was AbuMakkah who eventually prevailed to become the first Middle-Eastern FC Pro Open qualifier.
In the aftermath of his second win, AbuMakkah payed tribute to fellow Saudi star MSDossary, who didn't make it through the Swiss Stage.
The Team Falcons player stated: "MSDossary gave me a lot of advice and helped me...he is our role model."
A Dramatic Finale
With those matches decided, and just the final two places to be settled, you might have thought the most dramatic moments of the weekend had passed. And yet, as has tended to be the case all weekend, the entertainment continued right up until the very end of the evening.
Having lost their first matches in Group 4, Twisted Minds player MUAE14 and AJM Esports's Happy faced off in the lower bracket needing a win to keep their FC Pro Open dreams alive.
What transpired made for an extraordinary spectacle, as both men scored in Extra Time to take the game to a dreaded penalty shootout.
Such was the quality of the strikes, that even the goalkeepers had to step up and take pens - much to the agony of both players involved.
Cruelly, MUAE14 missed his 12th penalty in sudden death, handing Happy an 11-10 win - and passage to a decider against JistenNSQ.
Somehow, the drama didn't end there for the Mexican, who found himself level at 4-4 with the Boruissia E-Sports player heading into the final few seconds of added time in their match.
At that point, a mix-up at the back for JistenNSQ allowed Kylian Mbappe in behind his defence, who duly slotted home to hand Happy the win. The Mexican could hardly contain his emotions at the full-time whistle, becoming the first man from his country to secure qualification to the FC Pro Open.
"I'm still in shock, I can't believe it," Happy said after his win.
He added: "I've worked by whole life for this, this is a dream come true."
The final player to qualify was The1OS, who overcame his crushing defeat to AbuMakkah at the start of the evening to defeat both Albertss and Kekkova in impressive fashion.
Who Are the 20 FC Pro Open Qualifiers?
Here then, are the 20 qualifiers for the FC Pro Open, and the groups they've each been drawn into:
There are no easy games from this point onward, as 20 of the best EA FC players in the world prepare for a gruelling multi-week competition.
Group A action begins on the 27th of November, where 2023 FIFAe World Cup runner-up Mark11 with face off against the likes of Emre Yilmaz and Umut.
The tournament will draw to a close on the 3rd of February next year, with the top four players automatically qualifying for the FC Pro World Championship.
You can keep up to date with all of the FC Pro Open action as it unfolds on ea.com, YouTube and Twitch - where games will regularly be broadcast from the 27th of November until the competition's conclusion.
