RIYADH — The quarterfinals of the eMBS Cup kickoff tonight with a world-class line up of the strongest teams that will fight for a spot in the final 4 and play in the semifinals tomorrow. The four quarterfinal matches will be broadcasted tonight on the SAFEIS channels back to back starting at 6 pm to determine who will qualify for the semifinals on Sunday, Jan. 17.

During last week’s group stage matches, 7 exciting rounds saw 8 teams qualified from two groups. The FIFA 2018 eWorld Cup champion, Al-Ittihad’s Mosaad Aldossary, placed first in group A, solidifying his position as the favorite to win it all.

Trailing him are Al-Qadisiyah, Abha, and Al-Hilal. As for Group B, rising star Majed Alrashid playing for Al-Raed dominated his group by winning 6 out of 7 matches losing only to 4th place’s Al-Wehda. The other qualified teams from Group B are Al-Nasr and Al-Ittifaq.

The broadcast of the competition includes a top-quality studio with very well known football pundits, Abdulaziz Albaker and Khaled Alshenaif, that will introduce, analyze, and comment on the events of the day. Additionally, the league has brought in Hammad Alanzi and Issa AlHarbi as commentators to give each match the flavor it deserves.

SAFEIS CEO Turki Al Fawzan asserted his belief in the event saying: “The level of professionalism we have seen in this edition of the eMBS Cup from the players, the coaches, and the managers, and the high-level of skill during the matches proves that the local industry is maturing rapidly as events like these are becoming the norm which the fans have become accustomed to.”

One of the stories to watch is the incredible comeback Al-Hilal’s player Yaser Alharithi made to reach the quarterfinals. A strong player, one who was almost guaranteed to win most of his games to say the least. Yet, to the everyone’s surprise, he lost all three matches on the first day. Then with four matches remaining, Yasir came out swinging and was able to pull off an amazing run by getting a tie then three consecutive wins to secure his spot among the best in the quarter-finals by goal difference.

Organized by the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS) the eMBS cup brings all 16 football clubs in the Saudi Professional League together to compete in EA SPORTS FIFA 21 to see who the strongest player in the country is.

With famous names such as Abdulaziz Albaker and Khaled Alshenaif on the analysis desk, the fans and viewers witnessed exciting matches, insightful analysis, and great post-match interviews with the players.

The eMBS is under the Saudi eLeagues umbrella established by SAFEIS in October of 2020 to grow and elevate the Saudi esports industry to new heights and to create an ecosystem that can create internationally acclaimed stars who can compete at the highest level.

The competition is a part of the Ministry of Sports’ club funding strategy, in which participating sports clubs earn points for participating and placing in official esports tournaments. These points account towards their overall support funding at the end of each year. The funding has increased the clubs’ excitement in esports and only proves the bright future ahead for esports. — SG