The hotly anticipated 2022/23 ePremier League Finals took place last weekend at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the event more than lived up to the hype!
All 20 Premier League clubs entered the FIFA 23 competition but ultimately only one team could come out on top.
Former champions and rising stars battled it out all weekend long, eventually leading to a blockbuster final between Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United.
So, who would claim the coveted title of ePremier League Champion and the largest share of the £100,000 prize pool?
Championes
Leeds United have been crowned the 2022/23 ePremier League Champions after their historic victory at the Finals in the FIFA 23 tournament.
The Leeds team was made up of Olle ‘Ollelito’ Arbin and Tom Stokes, who defeated Tottenham Hotspur duo Tom Leese and Spencer ‘Gorilla’ Ealing over two legs in a thrilling climax on Sunday evening.
The tense Grand Final saw Ollelito record a comfortable 3-0 win over Ealing before Stokes drew 1-1 with former Champion Leese.
After clinching the title, Ollelito said:
“Finally! I have come so close to winning this title before and to win it now, alongside Tom, means so much after all of the near misses. We’ve always played for the fans and it feels amazing to say that we’re now ePremier League Champions!”
Journey to the final
The journey to the Grand Final was by no means straightforward for Leeds, following a tough run of fixtures in the tournament knockout rounds.
The Leeds duo actually finished runners-up in Group C on Saturday, meaning they were forced to overcome tournament favourites Liverpool and Donovan 'Tekkz' Hunt in the Quarter-Final.
The pair then faced off against a strong Crystal Palace team in the Semis.
Tom Stokes said:
“It has been a tough couple of days but I’m so happy that we managed to get over the line. The quality of this year’s Finals is the highest that I have known, so we had to work well together throughout the tournament. Credit to Tottenham Hotspur, it was a tough Grand Final and they didn’t give us an easy time. What a win!“
Winner winner, chicken dinner
As a reward for coming out on top, the duo picked up the £30,000 first prize, £15,000 per player. This was the largest share of the £100,000 prize pool.
Runners-up Gorilla and Tom Leese both won £7,500 each.
The Champions also won all-important seats in the FIFA 23 Global Series Playoffs, with the second-place team earning seats in the FIFA 23 Global Series Play-Ins.
Premier League Chief Commercial Officer Will Brass said:
“Congratulations to Ollelito, Stokes and Leeds United on winning the 2022/23 ePremier League title. This is the fifth edition of the tournament and once again we witnessed some thrilling action across two days of the Finals. It’s testament to the competitive nature of the ePL, that we have crowned a different winning club every single season."
Brass then paid tribute to EA Sports:
"Many thanks to EA SPORTS for their continued support, enabling us to grow the tournament year-on-year, and to our broadcast partners who brought the action to viewers around the world. We’re looking forward to next year already and bringing more ePremier League action to fans around the globe.”