The top eight Southeast Asian Football clubs from seven countries will be competing to be crowned champion in the first regional eFootball tournament – Champions eFootball (CeF) beginning 9th September to 7th October 2021. The confirmed participating teams in the eFootball competition include: Johor Darul Ta’zim (Malaysia), Persib Bandung (Indonesia), Tampines Rovers (Singapore), Buriram United (Thailand), Chonburi FC (Thailand), Nagaworld FC (Cambodia), United City FC (Philippines) and Ho Chi Minh City FC (Vietnam).
Competing on KONAMI’s eFootball PES 2021 Season Update via Playstation 4, the teams will be vying for the title along with a combined prize pool of USD 9,000. Starting 9th September for 5 consecutive weeks, the competition will be live-streamed on CeF’s official Facebook and Youtube channel.
The competition, endorsed by the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) as the official governing body of esports in Asia, will consist of 2 categories – ELITE and STAR. In the ELITE category, the participating football clubs will be represented by professional esports players. The STAR category however will feature star footballers from across the region including Mohamadou Sumareh (Malaysia), Beckham Putra (Indonesia), Worachit Kanitsribumphen (Thailand) and Lam Ti Phong (Vietnam). While the Elite category shall be at the core of competition, the Star category aims to entertain and provide light-hearted content for fans from all walks of life.
Yong-Chul Yun, CEO of Champions eFootball said “It is no surprise that esports and competitive gaming have become a cornerstone of entertainment and we are proud to bring this platform to the sporting world. In essence, our vision for Champions eFootball is to provide a platform for some of the best football clubs in the world to compete at a high level while attracting younger audiences and esports enthusiasts from across the region” 
HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Johor Darul Ta’zim FC owner said “Driven by our passion for football, we are thrilled to set foot into the world of esports while sporting the emblem and colours of our beloved club, JDT FC. Champions eFootball will give us an opportunity to showcase young talent representing our clubs while engaging with new audiences in esports. We are also excited to compete against the other clubs in the region and look forward to international matches in the coming future”
Meanwhile, Sebastian Lau, General Secretary of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) said “AESF is excited to work with Champions eFootball as an innovative platform that fosters synergy between two giants of the sporting world; football and esports. We are excited to see what the future holds for football clubs and fans in the region as they venture to compete for glory in esports”
