The EA SPORTS FIFA 21 eLaLiga Regular Season will begin on January 12th. The competition, promoted by LaLiga and organised together with Electronic Arts, saw Valencia CF’s eSports division place third last season, and team member Vivi Khofolo spoke to VCF Media this week about the challenges awaiting them.

What expectations do Valencia CF have in eSports this season?

“The biggest official FIFA21 tournament is the eLaLiga, and the essential thing is to be there competing with the best players in Spain, trying to go as far as possible. Last season we were just one step away from contesting the final and we hope to either repeat that or -why not?- go further and be champions.”

What does the strong commitment that LaLiga are making to eSports mean for gamers?

“The fact that both LaLiga and football clubs are so involved makes you feel almost like a footballer, only in eSports. Tournaments were organised a few years ago, but not like the current eLaLiga competition, with is a consequence of the great commitment being made. We could say that we are just starting, but if the current growth trend continues, as the years go by we will see larger events.”

38 LaLiga clubs will compete this season. Will we one day see all clubs also competing in eSports?

“It is important that the clubs take part in the competition, that they give importance and that they see a future in eSports. I am convinced that as time goes on the rest of the teams will join in and help the competition continue to grow.”

When LaLiga stopped due to Covid-19, professional football players turned to eSports. What does it mean for a gamer to play with them?

“There are many professional players have been encouraged to create their own teams and play, as we saw in the FIFA tournament organized by LaLiga together with YouTuber Ibai Llanos and professional footballers. We could all see the potential of eSports, a sector that is growing and producing entertainment with great interest for the fans. Besides the audience who followed it on television broadcasting in countries like China, Ibai's own channel reached a peak of more than 170,000 simultaneous viewers, studies highlighting that 1,739,000 people tuned in at some point to the tournament.”

If you had to form a pairing with a professional footballer, who would it be?

“I would like to play with Gayà.”