TOURNAMENT

61 nations are competing for the World Championship in eFIBA Season 2. The nations are split across seven regions: Oceania, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, South America, and North America.

eFIBA Season 2 consists of three tournament stages: eFIBA Regional Qualifiers, eFIBA Regional Finals and eFIBA World Finals. All regions compete in the Regional Qualifiers. When the qualifiers conclude, 61 nations are narrowed down to only 21 that advance to the Regional Finals.

From there, seven Regional Champions and the runner-up from Europe qualify for the eFIBA World Finals in Jönköping, Sweden. The eight qualified nations compete to become eFIBA World Champions.

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE

61 nations compete in the Regional Qualifiers during six weeks from October 3 to November 2, 2023. Regional Qualifiers are played in groups with a round-robin format - meaning each nation will face off against their group opponents once every game day. Nations are split across multiple groups in the larger regions. This applies to Africa with three groups and Europe with five groups.

A win-loss record decides the placements in the individual groups. If two or more teams have the same win-loss record, a list of tiebreakers determines the final position of the group standing. 

Nations accumulate Leaderboard Points based on their standing in the group, contributing to an ongoing tally that is tracked independently for each region from one game day to the next. This system ensures a fair and competitive tournament, emphasising the significance of every victory. The specific number of Leaderboard Points earned varies from region to region.

REGIONAL FINALS - KNOCKOUTS

21 nations qualify to compete in the Regional Finals, which are played from November 7-November 9, 2023. In the Regional Finals every region will play a knock-out bracket to decide which nations qualify to the World Finals. Specifically for each region, the following format applies:

OCEANIA: 2 nations are battling for 1 spot at the World Finals. eFIBA Finals Oceania will consist of a best of 3 match-up to determine the eFIBA Oceania Champion

ASIA: 2 nations are battling for 1 spot at the World Finals. eFIBA Finals Asia will consist of a best of 3 match-up to determine the eFIBA Asia Champion

MIDDLE EAST: 2 nations are battling for 1 spot at the World Finals. eFIBA Finals Middle East will consist of a best of 3 match-up to determine the eFIBA South Middle East Champion

AFRICA: 4 nations are battling for 1 spot at the World Finals. The semi-finals are played as a best of 1 game, whereas the Final is played as a best of 3 game. eFIBA Finals Africa will consist of two semi-finals played best of 1 & one final played in a best of 3 format to determine the the eFIBA Africa Champion. 

EUROPE: 6 nations are battling for 2 spots at the World Finals. eFIBA Finals Europe will consist of two play-off rounds
played best of 1. Two semi-finals played best of 3 & one final played in a best of 3 to determine the eFIBA Europe Champion. 

SOUTH AMERICA: 2 nations are battling for 1 spot at the World Finals. eFIBA Finals South America will consist of a best of 3 match-up to determine the eFIBA South America Champion.

NORTH AMERICA: 3 nations are battling for 1 spot at the World Finals. eFIBA Finals North America will consist of one semi-final played best of 1 & one final played in a best of 3 format to determine the eFIBA North America Champion. 

WORLD FINALS

8 nations qualify to compete during the eFIBA World Finals, fighting to become World Champions on NBA2K 24 and to take home the winners share of the 50.000 EUR prize pool. The World Finals are played offline at an in-person event in Jönköping, Sweden, on November 25-26, 2023. 

The World Finals are played in two stages: a group stage and a knockout bracket. 

Group stage

The eight qualified nations are divided into two groups for the group stage. The draw for the World Finals group stage is randomised, with the exception of the two European finalists who are allocated to separate groups
In the group stage, each nation plays each other once in a best of 1 game. The top two nations from each group will advance to the semi-finals in the knockout stage. Nations placing 3rd & 4th in their groups compete in classification games to determine their final ranking at the World Finals.

Knockouts

The knockouts consist of two semi-finals and a final. The semi-finals & final is played in a best of 3 format, seeded single elimination bracket to determine the winner of eFIBA World Finals. 

Classification games

Classification games are played to determine which nations place from 3rd to 8th place.
The losing semi-finalists will play a best of 1 game to determine which team place 3rd & 4th in the final ranking. 
Nations placing 3rd in their groups will face each other in a best of 1 placement game to determine which team place 5th & 6th in the final ranking. 
Nations placing 4th in their groups will face each other in a best of 1 placement game to determine which team place 7th & 8th in the final ranking.

The leaderboard format applied only to the Regional Qualiifers.

The Leaderboard Ranking on the last game day of the Regional Qualifiers decides the nations qualifying for the next tournament stage, the Regional Finals. Leaderboard points from group standings, as well as Skill Boosters earned, contribute to the overall Leaderboard. Read more about Skill Boosters here. 

Asia, Middle East & South America

Nations earn leaderboard points throughout two game days. All points are aggregated and the final ranking after Game Day 2 decides which two nations advance to the Regional Finals.

Africa

Nations earn leaderboard points throughout two game days. All points are aggregated and the final ranking after Game Day 2 decides which four nations advance to the Regional Finals.

North America

Nations earn leaderboard points throughout two game days. All points are aggregated and the final ranking after Game Day 2 decides which three nations advance to the Regional Finals.

Europe

Due to the large size of the region, a special format applies to Europe. Nations earn leaderboard points throughout the first two game days. All points are aggregated and the Leaderboard ranking after Game Day 2 decides the twelve nations that stay in the upper bracket and the 14 nations that continue to compete in the Lucky Loser bracket.

Upper bracket: The 12 nations in the upper bracket continue to compete in group stage round-robin. Throughout an additional two game days, nations earn points to the Leaderboard, which has been reset to 0. All points from Gameday 3 and 4 are aggregated and the final ranking after Game Day 4 decides which five nations advance to the Regional Finals.

Lucky Loser bracket: The 14 nations in the lower bracket play an elimination tournament throughout Game Day 3 and 4 until only one Lucky Loser remains. This nation advances to the Regional Finals and joins the five nations from the upper bracket.

eFIBA REGIONAL FINALS

21 nations advance from Regional Qualifiers to compete in the Regional Finals in the last week of the online season, played on November 7 and November 9, 2023.

In the Regional Finals everything is at stake, as this stage of the tournament is played as a knock-out tournament, and nations will be fighting for the eight spots at eFIBA World Finals in Jönköping, where the world champion in NBA2K 24 will be crowned.

For North America, the best ranked nation of the Regional Qualifiers advances directly to the Final game of the Regional Finals. For Europe, the two best-ranked nations of the Regional Qualifiers Upper Bracket advance directly to the semi-finals of the Regional Finals.

eFIBA WORLD FINALS

After six weeks of intense qualifications, eight nations qualify for eFIBA Season 2 World Finals, where a world champion will be crowned. Played offline at DreamHack Winter in Jönköping, Sweden, on November 25-26, 2023 eFIBA World Finals marks the first time in history where national teams from all over the world compete for the ultimate international title in competitive 2K.

Skill Boosters are additional points that can we achieved during the game by accomplishing selected in game challenges. For the Regional Qualifiers, earning Skill Boosters will help nations collect event more points for the Leaderboard. For World Finals, prize money is at stake in the Semi-Finals and Final. The rules of skill boosters will not apply for the Regional Finals.

Skill Boosters for Regional Qualifiers

4 new skill boosters are presented across all regions each game day. The skill booster can be activated with 4 objectives, each achievable once, providing additional leaderboard points upon completion. Multiple boosters can be fulfilled in a single game, with each completed objective earning 1 point. Completing all 4 objectives awards a total of 5 points.

A new set of skill booster objectives are introduced before each game day for. The chosen skill boosters for game day 1 and 2 for every regions is as below. New skill boosters for Europe will be made public before Regional Qualifiers Europe game day 3.

Skill Boosters for World Finals

Beyond the intense competition on the virtual basketball court, a unique element adds an extra layer of thrill and strategy to the tournament—the Skill Boosters. These game-changing elements are designed to reward teams not just for victories but for achieving in-game milestones that showcase skill, precision, and strategic prowess. For the World Finals, a total of 5.000 Euros prize money is at stake. The split of prizes for skill-boosters obtained is the following:

Semi-final 1 – 1.500 Euros
Semi-final 2 – 1.500 Euros
Final – 2.000 Euros

The nations go head to head against each other to accomplish the skill booster on a race to win it-basis. The nation to complete most skill boosters as the first team in the match up will take away the prize money at stake in that game. The skill boosters to be accomplished are the following. 

Get ready for an exciting season of eFIBA action! Here's all the info you'll need:

How many nations will be in the eFIBA Season 2?

A total of 61 nations are competing this season. How are these nations divided? The participating nations are split into seven regional groups: Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, Oceania, and South America.

When does the season start?

The competition tips off with the Online Regional Qualifiers on October 3 and runs until November 2. During this phase, national teams from each region qualify online to secure their spot in the next stage. After the qualifiers, the Regional Finals will take place from November 7 to November 9. These finals will determine the top teams in each region (Top 2 for Europe) to compete in the eFIBA World Finals.

What is the tournament format like?

In the Regional Qualifiers (except Oceania), all games will be played in a "Best of 1" format. For the Regional Finals and the World Finals, we will switch to a "Best of 3" format for final games!

What's at stake in terms of prizes?

There is a €50,000 prize pool up for grabs, and it will be shared among the victorious teams.

Who will make it to the eFIBA World Finals?

The nation that wins each Regional Final, along with the top two teams from Europe, will earn their tickets to the eFIBA Season 2 World Finals. 8 nations in total.

When and where will the eFIBA World Finals take place?

The eFIBA Season 2 World Finals will be live at the DreamHack Winter event in Elmia, Jönköping, Sweden on November 25 and 26.

PRIZE POOL

The total prize pool for the World Finals is 50.000 euros. 
The prize pool will be awarded based on multiple achievements during World Finals:

40.000 EUR  for top four nations
5.000 EUR  for skill booster performances
5.000 EUR for selected awards

40.000 EUR - Top four nations

The following total prizes equalling 40.000 Euros shall be allocated based on the nations final ranking at the World Finals:

1st Place – 20.000 Euros
2nd Place – 10.000 Euros
3rd Place – 6.000 Euros
4th Place – 4.000 Euros
5-8th Place – No Prizes  

5.000 EUR - Skill boosters

The following total prizes equalling 5.000 Euros will be allocated based on skill boosters obtained in the semi-finals & final. The split of prizes for skill-boosters obtained is the following:

Semi-final 1 – 1.500 Euros
Semi-final 2 – 1.500 Euros
Final – 2.000 Euros

5.000 EUR - Awards

The following total prizes equalling 5.000 Euros shall be allocated based on individual player awards. The split of prizes for the individual player awards is the following:

Most Valuable Player (MVP) – 2.500 Euros
Best Defensive Player of the Season – 2.500

eFIBA AWARDS

Every move and plan matters, as the eFIBA Awards honour the remarkable skills and efforts of the eFIBA players. As we approach the World Finals, excitement for these coveted accolades is at an all-time high. Let's look at the rules that define the core of these awards and the extraordinary players who compete for them.

The following awards will be given to deserving players at the World Finals.

Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season
Takes into account both individual excellence and the player's integral role in their nation's success.

Best Defensive Player of the season
Recognises the player who has excelled in outstanding defensive play as an individual performer throughout the World Finals.

All-Star 5 of the season
Comprises the overall best-performing competitors at each position on the court. Each position is allocated one spot, recognising players' abilities to fulfil the tasks associated with their respective positions.

The awards will be handed out following the conclusion of the Final game at the eFIBA Season 2 World Finals, played on November 16, 2023.

Rules of Eligibility and Multiple Awards
All players who compete in at least one game at the World Finals are eligible for an award. Additionally, a player has the potential to win more than one award, showcasing the multifaceted talents that make these digital athletes true stars of the virtual basketball world.

Voting System
The eFIBA Awards employ a comprehensive voting system to ensure a fair and balanced selection process.

The Most Valuable Player and Best Defensive Player of the Season awards follow a point distribution system:
- 40 points from the Tournament Operations team, with a 15/10/5 split for the top three players.
- 40 points from the Commentary team, with a similar 15/10/5 split.
- 40 points from team Captains, each granted one vote worth 5 points, with no self-voting allowed.

For the All-Star 5, players holding the positions in question contribute to the voting process:
- 40 points from players in each position, with each player having one vote worth 5 points and no self-voting permitted.