Zhao Yitang had always dreamed of playing soccer for China and this summer he finally did — not in boots on a pitch, but on a smartphone.
As the global popularity of soccer e-sports grows, China is vying for success on the virtual pitch, following decades of struggles in the real-life sport.
The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has announced plans to form its own national e-sports soccer team, kindling hopes for players like Zhao.
Photo: AFP
“If I could join the national team, I would go all-out in my efforts for the side,” the gamer said.
Recent graduate Zhao, 21, reached the final of this year’s eFootball championship in Tokyo, finishing in second place.
It was China’s best international result in the game formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer, which dominates the soccer e-sports genre along with EA Sports FC Online.
The CFA said its team would soon compete in e-sports events organized by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.
Despite being massively popular in China real-life soccer in the country has long been plagued by match-fixing and corruption.
Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the FIFA World Cup.
However, the men’s national team languish 93rd in FIFA’s rankings and failed again to qualify for next year’s World Cup.
Soccer e-sports could deliver glory at last.
China is one of the world’s biggest gaming markets, and its players are some of the best in other e-sports games.
However, for top players, striving for glory in soccer video games is far less lucrative than battling for big prize money in fantasy e-sports titles such as League of Legends or Dota 2.
The professionalism of virtual soccer, unlike other e-sports, is at an early stage.
“The prize money is too little. It’s difficult to make a living playing professionally, full-time,” former pro e-sports soccer player Monaco said, asking to use his screen name to avoid online abuse.
Even winning every tournament would only earn a top player about 70,000 yuan (US$9,858) annually before taxes, with regular salaries nonexistent, he said.
By contrast, top players in more established e-sports titles such as League of Legends can earn salaries in the seven figures, alongside sponsorship deals.
“Probably only 10 people in all of China can make a living out of playing” soccer e-sports, said Pan Shuyin, manager of the e-sports division of Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai.
Changchun are trying to set themselves apart.
“We are the only football club in the whole Chinese Super League, maybe even the only football club in China, continuously investing in e-sports,” Pan said.
Other clubs have disbanded their e-sports teams or are reluctant to set them up, because they are seen as money-losers.
One reason for the lower exposure and commercial value of soccer e-sports is that “the bar for playing soccer games is higher.”
That is because it usually requires knowledge of real-life soccer, said Pan, whose club aims to attract more young fans through e-sports.
While Chinese teams have played soccer e-sports at global tournaments in the past, the country is not on the roster for the upcoming FIFAe World Cup, an e-soccer tournament in December in Saudi Arabia.
Worldwide, soccer e-sports is becoming a regular fixture.
The ePremier League kicked off in 2018 and e-sports — including soccer games — became an official medal event at the last Asian Games held in 2023.
Zhao, nicknamed “Ding” or “Teacher Ding” by the e-sports soccer community, first stumbled upon a soccer video game in 2018 to unwind between classes and soccer training.
“If you watch a lot of real-life football matches, or play a lot of real-life football, you will have your own understanding” of how to succeed in e-sports, he said.
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