eChampions League: RBLZ duo make the final 8 | OneFootball

Three Leipzig players qualified for the league phase of the eChampions League – two have made it into the top 8.

The virtual football Champions League is back – bigger, more thrilling, and more competitive than ever before. Last weekend marked the start of the new eChampions League season in the EA SPORTS FC universe, featuring 36 of Europe’s best players.

Participants earned their spots through international tournaments and national leagues. The tournament format mirrors the revamped structure of the real-life UEFA Champions League – with a league phase, knockout rounds, and a final event.

Alihan and Anders book their place in the finals - Levy Finn narrowly misses out

In Manchester, all 36 players competed in a round-robin format. The top eight from the league phase advanced directly to the round of 16, while places 9 to 24 battled it out in a knockout round for the remaining slots.

At his very first international major tournament, 16-year-old Alihan Hadzhi impressed right away, securing a spot in the top 8 and qualifying directly for the round of 16. He had qualified through the national championship in his native Bulgaria, playing for Ludogorets Razgrad in cooperation with RBLZ.

Levy Finn, meanwhile, just missed direct qualification – one single goal kept the reigning German champion out of the top group. He finished 9th, just behind teammate Alihan. Anders Vejrgang also got off to a strong start but slipped to 10th after day two – level on points with his Leipzig teammates.

That meant only two Leipzig players could make it into the final eight. Had Levy Finn progressed, a clash with teammate Alihan would have loomed in the Round of 16.

But it never came to that: Levy Finn narrowly lost 2-1 in the round of 32 to 'Resende' from Sporting Gijón and exited the tournament.

Alihan, however, kept his cool. He also initially trailed against Resende, but turned it around just before the final whistle with a 2-1 win to book his place in Munich. A debut performance that couldn’t have gone much better.

Vejrgang gets his revenge – Alihan to face Emre Yilmaz

For Anders Vejrgang, the weekend featured a double reunion with 'Young' – the Brazilian who handed him a crushing 9-2 defeat at the 2023 Esports World Cup, complete with the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo 'Siu' celebration.

In the league phase, Vejrgang got his revenge: with a focused performance, he won 4-2 – and couldn’t resist celebrating with a ‘Siu’ of his own. He followed that up in the knockout stage with a dominant 6-3 victory to book his place in the round of 16.

There, the reigning world champion left no doubt against 'DFernandes' (Cádiz), taking an early 3-0 lead and cruising to a 4-1 win to reach the quarterfinals. He now faces 'Samugamer' of FC Torino, the current Italian champion.

Alihan will face a major challenge on 28th May in Munich, going up against Emre Yilmaz, the 2023 eChampions League winner, in the quarterfinals.

Experience the top 8 live – 28th May | Munich, Germany

The grand final of the eChampions League 2025 will take place at the Eisbach Studios in Munich. In front of a live audience, Europe’s top eight players will battle it out in the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and the ultimate final for the coveted trophy.

Want to be there when history is made? You can experience the final matches live in Munich.

Buy tickets here

All results, highlights, and behind-the-scenes content are available on the official RBLZ Gaming channels on Instagram, TikTok, and X.