FC Pro World Championship at 2025 Esports World Cup Champion: A ManuBachoore Masterclass

ManuBachoore defeated Team Vitality’s Brice Masson in a close 5-3 final. In doing so, he became the first-ever two-time EA SPORTS FC world champion, having also placed first in the FIFAe World Cup 2023. At just 20 years old, ManuBachoore has already made a name for himself, and he will also take home $250,000 for his performance.

A tournament of underdogs

A final between ManuBachoore and Brice wasn’t on anyone’s prediction list heading into the early stages of the tournament in Week 4. While ManuBachoore is a former world champion, the fact that he had to qualify through the FC Pro World Championship Play-Ins at the 2025 Esports World Cup meant his road to the title was going to be that much steeper.

Brice, on the other hand, had a rather disappointing season. For example, he was knocked out in the first round of the eChampions League after failing to win a single game. In the end, none of the tournament favorites made it to the final day of competition.

A long road to the final

Despite the doubts, both players earned their place in front of a roaring crowd in Riyadh. Brice defeated some of the biggest names in the scene, Nicolas “nicolas99fc” Villalba, Francesco “Obrun2002” Tagliafierro, and Levi de Weerd, on his road to the final.

ManuBachoore’s path on the other side of the bracket was far from a walk in the park, either. The Dutch player beat Leandro Peixoto, Jonas “Jonny” Wirth, and Guilherme “GuiBarros” Barros to claim his spot in the final.

The FC Pro World Championship at the 2025 Esports World Cup was massive: 512 players competed in the last chance qualifier, 48 battled through the play-in stage, and 32 fought in the main tournament. Of all those competitors, Brice and ManuBachoore proved to be the best.

A back and forth final

The final match of the tournament was tense. Brice grabbed an early lead, but ManuBachoore turned it into a 4-2 advantage by halftime. While Brice closed the gap early in the second half, ManuBachoore put all doubt to rest by scoring the deciding fifth goal in the 85th minute.

The Dutchman became the first two-time EA SPORTS FC world champion and only the second player to raise the Esports World Cup trophy.

“I came here through the play-ins. I wasn’t even sure I’d qualify for the tournament," ManuBachoore said after the final. "I say it every tournament, but it’s a dream."

Club Championship implications

The final match-up carried extra weight due to its Club Championship implications, as both players represented frontrunning clubs; Team Liquid and Team Vitality. Team Falcons’ representative Ahmad “AbuMakkah” Mujahid was eliminated early without scoring any points.

As a result, Team Liquid will take over the lead in this year’s Club Championship standings. The multi-faceted organization also became the first club in Esports World Cup history to win three tournaments in a single event.

With hundreds of matches set to take place over the next few days, new legends will rise as champions are crowned and rivals are toppled. Watch the Esports World Cup 2025 live or check out the ticket options to watch in-person this week!