By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
FIBA announced the schedule of the second season of eFIBA on Monday.
Revealing the playing field set a new record with 61 participating nations. The International Basketball Federation’s official NBA 2K24 tournament will conclude with the first-ever in-person World Finals.
Per the press release: “ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company, and the International Basketball Federation today announced the 61 nations participating in the second season of eFIBA, FIBA’s official NBA 2K24 tournament.
Beginning October 3, National Federations across seven regional areas will battle it out in the Pro-Am game mode to secure a spot in the first-ever in-person eFIBA World Finals at DreamHack Winter and a share of the €50,000 prize pool.
“After a successful inaugural season and eFIBA’s successful participation in The Olympic Esports Series, we are prepared to make the upcoming eFIBA Season 2 a landmark international event,” said Frank Leenders, FIBA Media and Marketing Services Director General. “eFIBA allows us to reach new basketball enthusiasts and build a global community of players and fans who share a passion for the game.”
eFIBA Season 2 is more than doubling its participating federations and expanding its competition schedule. The event includes online Regional Qualifiers from October 3 to November 2 and Regional Finals from November 7 to 9 across South East Asia, Oceania, Middle East, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe.
“The significant growth of participating National Federations and the incredible feedback we have received from players and the community shows that eFIBA is on the right track to become a great offering to the NBA2K community,” said Roger Lodewick, President, Sports Games at ESL FACEIT Group. “Together with FIBA, we have crafted a bold and innovative sporting concept that serves the esports community and connects with basketball fans. We are thrilled to tip off the second season.”
The winning nation from each Regional Final and the top two from Europe will secure a spot in the eFIBA Season 2 World Finals 2023, taking place live at the immersive gaming lifestyle festival, DreamHack Winter, from November 25-26 in Elmia, Jonkoping, Sweden.
The eFIBA Season 2 schedule will be:
Stage 1
October 3 Europe Qualifiers
October 5 South America Qualifiers and North America Qualifiers
October 10 Middle East Qualifiers and Africa Qualifiers
October 12 Oceania Qualifiers and South East Asia Qualifiers
Stage 2
October 17 Europe Qualifiers
October 19 South America Qualifiers and North America Qualifiers
October 26 Africa Qualifiers
November 2 South East Asia Qualifiers and Middle East Qualifiers
Stage 3
October 24 Oceania Finals and Europe Qualifiers
Stage 4
October 31 Europe Qualifiers
Finals
November 7 South East Asia Finals, Middle East Finals, Africa Finals
November 8 Europe Finals, South America Finals, North America Finals
Below is a breakdown of the National Federation representatives in each regional area:
Europe (26): Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Türkiye, Ukraine
Africa (14): Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria
North America (6): Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, USA
Southeast Asia (5): India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore
South America (4): Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela
Oceania (2): Guam, New Zealand
Middle East (4): Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon
eFIBA Co-Streaming
This season, eFIBA actively works with the NBA2K community through collaborations with creators around the globe, as well as co-streamers of eFIBA events with a suite of customizable resources – including unprecedented access to gameplay feeds, overlays, opportunities to interview players, and more. The suite of streaming tools is open to community streamers, who can apply for exclusive access here.
Commencing October 3, the Regional Qualifiers and Regional Finals of eFIBA Season 2, as well as the eFIBA World Finals, will be streamed on Tuesdays and Thursdays on eFIBA’s Twitch and YouTube channels and on FIBA’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
Those looking to experience the action live can look forward to attending DreamHack Winter, as tickets to the festival also grant access to the international NBA 2K24 competition. More information about the ticket types and prices can be found on the official DreamHack Winter website.
For more information about eFIBA, visit the official channels on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.”
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL