After four weeks of great Kenyan University FIFA, the curtains close this Friday with the final four Conference teams battling it out in the e-Lig Series finals event dubbed The Fainali. 

The Fainali will run as the final event of the University FIFA Esports inviting four conference teams from the qualification weekends. As earlier reported, the second-placed teams were to meet in the 3rd/4th play-off match but we have re-formatted the Fainali event to have a direct semi-final play-off between the teams with the winners from each of the matches getting a direct ticket to 1st/2nd place match while the losers head directly for the 3rd/4th place play-offs. 

“Conference teams that finished first place in their respective groups will face off with the second-placed team from the other group e.g. Winner from Group A (1A) plays second-place from Group B (2B).”

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS 

As the e-Lig series comes to an end, it all comes down to the mental and psychological state of the players who will battle it out from home. The Nairobi region-based teams seem to be favorites heading into the final but this is Kenyan FIFA- anything can happen.

The first semi-final of the day will see Nairobi North Conference (JKUAT) Njiru Njeru take on Central Conference (KeMU) Victor Mwangi. Everything is on the line for Victor coming from a loss handed to him by UONs Frank Kibet while JKUATs Njiru Njeru will be entering this match with only one mission – TO WIN.  

The second semi-final will see the tournament favorite Frank Kibet take on Kisii University player Feswall Abdalla. Can Feswall Abdalla of Kisii University with his defensive play stop Frank’s offensive plays? Can Feswall Abdalla stand up to the pressure? 

The Fainali schedule

Match One: JKUAT_Njiru Njeru v. KeMU_Victor Mwangi 

Match Two: UON_Frank Kibet v. Kisii University_Feswall Abdalla

“Compete and Dominate” 

Aimed at attracting everyone from competitive & casual FIFA players, content consumers, to corporates at large, the e-Lig Series showcase is helping the Esports and casual video gaming in Kenya to engage, inform and inspire a new generation of digital sports enthusiasts. The ultimate goal of the series showcase is to bring an innovative way to compete amongst different Universities’ video gaming communities and also open up a conversation of how traditional and electronic sports can merge to develop electronic divisions that steer new ways to compete. 

The showcase tournament will be the first-ever sanctioned and licensed Esports tournament held in Kenya with teams franchised per University Conference. 

University Conferences

The e-Lig Series will see the six Kenya University Conferences compete in a grouped format with three conference teams per group. Each University Conference will have two representatives making this a twelve-person tournament. 

The six conferences include;

• Nairobi North Conference 
• Nairobi South Conference 
• Western Conference 
• Rift Valley Conference 
• Central Conference 
• Coast Conference 

 “Franchising teams based on their regional Conferences was a great idea for the tournament because it helps highlight not only the KUSA structure but various University institutions we have in Kenya,” says Fanuel, Ace Pro Gaming Head of Business and Leagues. 

SHOWCASE STRUCTURE

The tournament will see the six conference teams divided and placed in two groups (Group A & B). Each group will have three teams playing in a round-robin format on a selected weekend (Friday) tournament. Each Conference team will field two players to fit our new FIFA competition policy that is pushing for team-based competitions, unlike the usual individual format that we have been running in the past. 

GROUP A	GROUP B
Nairobi North Conference	Nairobi South Conference
Rift Valley Conference	Central Conference
Western Conference	Coast Conference

Group Stages

The group stages will follow a round-robin format with the winner getting a direct slot for the e-Lig Series Finals (Fainali). 

Each Conference team will field two players (Player 1 & 2) who will play against each conference team in their respective groups. 

For example:

Nairobi North Conference_Player 1 v. Central Conference_Player 1 

Nairobi North Conference_Player 2 v. Central Conference_Player 2

If there is a tie after both matches, the best players from each Conference will play in a tiebreaker to determine a win for the team

The winners of the group will be determined by their Aggregate Win-Loss Record and Goal Difference. 

Fainali

Fainali will be the official e-Lig Series Final tournament of the sanctioned KUSA Esports program. It will have two matches slated for the evening, the e-Lig Series third/fourth place playoff, and the main event Finals. 

The third-place playoffs will follow the Group stage format of play while the main Finals will have a different format. The final match of the e-Lig Series will see players from either team play against both players from the opponent team. 

Nairobi Conference v. Western Conference 

NNC_Player 1 v. WC_Player 1 

NNC_Player 2 v. WC_Player 2 

NNC_Player 1 v. WC_Player 2 

NNC_Player 2 v. WC_Player 1

This finals format brings all contenders from either team to get the taste of competition from both their opponents. If there is a tie, the best players will face off to decide who the winner will be. 

Follow e-Lig Series 

Twitter: @eLigSeries 

Instagram: @eLigSeries