India created history on last Saturday as they qualified for the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from July 27 to July 30. In the last edition, India finished in third place in the Middle East and Africa Zone of the FIFAe Nations Online Qualifiers narrowly missing out place in the finals. But the 2021 finals edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will be the first time India will play in FIFA’s showpiece esports event. There is a total prize pool of USD 4,00,00,000. 23 nations along with the host nation will compete for the trophy at the ​​Bella Arena in Copenhagen. Portugal, Israel, and Brazil are currently in the top 3 with India at 26th place.

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The FIFAe Nations Series kicks off at a domestic level, with FIFAs member associations offering their communities to compete amongst each other and find the most competitive athletes within the country.

The FIFAe Nations Cup is the international football governing body’s (FIFA) official inter-nation esports football competition. Gamers play in a 2v2 format along with a substitute. France won the inaugural FIFAe Nations Cup in 2020 by beating Argentina in the final in London.

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For the 2022 edition, India qualified for the Asia/Oceania regional playoffs after a successful stint in the play-ins. During this period, India also achieved their highest global ranking of 19.

India needed to win two matches in the playoffs to qualify. The Indian efootball team of Charanjot Singh, Siddh Chandarana and Saransh Jain defeated Korea and Malaysia in the playoffs to make the cut for the event. The event will be streamed online.

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