December 13 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has taken the next step into the virtual world with the conclusion of its first-ever AFC Football eSports Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday.
Building on the successful launch of the AFC eAsian Cup earlier this year, running parallel with the Asian Cup in Qatar, the two-day forum brought together key stakeholders and eSports experts to explore ways to strengthen and expand the Football eSports ecosystem in Asia.
Keen to take advantage of the booming eSports market, the Confederation is also set to launch its inaugural club-focused event, the AFC eChampions League Elite, in April 2025. The forum was used to provide prospective participants with advice to further enhance their Football eSports systems, with one eye on supporting the AFC’s MAs for an opportunity on the “world’s biggest stages”.
Identically to FIFA, the AFC’s eSports tournaments utilise Konami’s eFootball platform, as opposed to the popular FC25 game developed by EA Sports.
Representatives from Konami, which hails from Japan, joined the AFC’s MAs at the Forum to explain the latest updates to their free-to-play game.
“Earlier this year, we marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Confederation’s rich legacy when we introduced the AFC eAsian Cup,” said AFC deputy general secretary Shin Man Gil.
“It demonstrated the immense potential of eSports and opened the doors to welcome a whole new section of fans. We must embrace digital innovations to expand the reach of our sport and deepen our connection with fans, especially with our younger audience.”
Pranav Jayachandran of the All India Football Federation, added: “Listening to the success stories of our peers has been incredibly inspiring and we will return from this Forum with a wealth of knowledge that will surely contribute to enhancing our respective football eSports initiatives.”
“The AFC eAsian Cup was not only a thrilling experience but also signalled the immense potential of Asian teams, and we are all eager to see how this ecosystem evolves in the future.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734878289labto1734878289ofdlr1734878289owedi1734878289sni@g1734878289niwe.1734878289yrrah1734878289
