eLions secure FIFAe Nations Playoffs qualification

England’s official esports team, the eLions, have qualified for FIFAe Nations Playoffs after winning their fourth and final Play-In.

Tekkz (Donovan Hunt) and XL Tom (Tom Leese) took park in the FIFAe Nations Online Qualifier Play-In 4 on Thursday 7 April and Friday 8 April.

And having topped the table in Play-In 3 in March, the eLions did the same during Play-In 4 to qualify for the FIFAe Nations Playoffs later this year.

The game format is 2v2 on PS5 and each match-up consists of two games, with each being worth three points for the winner, one if it is a draw and nothing for the loser.

The eLions, who had MHaywxrd as substitute for Play-In 4, beat Israel, Turkey, Hungary and Luxembourg 6-0 on Thursday to put themselves in the driving seat.

And despite losing 4-1 to France and then Denmark in their first two games on Friday, the 2-2 draw with Netherlands guaranteed they finished one point ahead the Dutch to top of the table and qualify.

The Play-Ins take place over five months and give countries the chance to book a spot at this year’s FIFAe Nations Playoffs without having to take part in the ‘Main Stage’ of qualifying for the Playoffs, with the overall goal of reaching the 2022 FIFAe Nations Cup.

There are four Play-Ins during this qualification phase and the nations who are top of Division 1 from each of the five conferences will qualify for FIFAe Nations Playoffs without having to go through the ‘Main Stage’ of qualifying, along with the top two teams in the ‘Consistency Ranking’ table at the end of the fourth match week. If the Play-In 4 winner is in the Consistency Ranking top two, then the third team would qualify.

But the eLions’ performances in their last three Play-Ins, having been relegated to Division 2 during the first, mean they will take their place in the FIFAe Nations Playoffs without the need of waiting to see where they rank in the Consistency Ranking.

The eLions will now hope they can progress through the FIFAe Nations Playoffs to become one of 24 teams who compete at the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 this year.

Highlights from the Play Ins can be seen on Twitch.tv/England, which can be accessed by clicking here.

You can see the eLions’ Play In 4 results in full below.

Thursday 7 April
England 6-0 Israel
Turkey 0-6 England
England 6-0 Hungary
Luxembourg 0-6 England

Friday 8 April
France 4-1 England
England 1-4 Denmark
England 2-2 Netherlands