In the group phase of the final tournament of the FIFA 23 Virtual Bundesliga (VBL), the favorites advanced to the playoffs.
World champion Umut “Umut” Gültekin (3-1 wins) from RB Leipzig and defending champion Dylan “Dullenmike” Neuhausen (3-1) from Focus Clan finished in the top five in Group A and thus moved straight into the knockout stages.
Timo “TimoX” Siep, who has been active since 2015, was surprisingly strong: with four wins, the player from VfL Bochum was the only player in Group A to remain undefeated.
In the Swiss system, the 16 players per group only play a maximum of four games. The event takes place in front of an audience in Cologne’s Strassenkicker Base.
FIFA 23: Newcomer Jonny convinces in VBL
In Group B, FC St. Pauli’s Berkay “BerkayLion” Demirci topped the table unbeaten with four wins. Debutant Jonas “Jonny” Wirth from SC Paderborn, who fought his way directly into the playoffs with 3:1 wins, also moved into the limelight. “I was very nervous at the beginning,” he said in an interview after the match day. “Thanks to my coach, I have him to thank for 90 percent.”
With the group stage, ten players left the tournament. Only six other playoff participants will be played on Sunday. Then the knockout round is about the German individual championship title.
The Grand Final of the Virtual Bundesliga is the highest-ranking German tournament in FIFA. The two finalists qualify directly for the Global Series playoffs. Unlike in the Club Championship, players who are not under contract with a Bundesliga club can also take part.