12/01/2023
Press Release
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FIBA and EFG launch eFIBA Season 1

COPENHAGEN/MIES (Denmark/Switzerland) - FIBA and ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) today announced the launch of the inaugural season of FIBA's official NBA® 2K23 tournament: eFIBA Season 1.

From January 20, 30 National Federations from across the globe will be fighting for glory in the first eFIBA Season 1 on NBA2K23 using the Pro-Am game mode. eFIBA has had three successful editions of FIBA Esports Open in 2020 and 2021, and Season 1 has now been launched across social media.

"We are excited about the upcoming tip-off of the eFIBA Season 1, FIBA's eBasketball tournament on NBA2K23, and our collaboration with EFG," said FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis. "These upcoming seven tournaments will provide National Federations with the opportunity to compete against the best eBasketball national teams in the world, building on the momentum created from the FIBA Esports Open events in 2020 and 2021." 

"The NBA2K community and game is in the top 3 sports game titles globally," said Roger Lodewick, President Sports games at EFG. "We're therefore thrilled to start this long-term cooperation with FIBA and develop and serve the eFIBA community. It will enable us to complement the NBA2K offering with competitive national team eBasketball and provide the community with bold and entertaining online and in person events." 

eFIBA Season 1 consists of seven online regional events across the four FIBA Regions of Europe, Americas, Asia and Africa.

Regional Qualifiers
   • eFIBA 2023 Qualifiers Asia - January 20
   • eFIBA 2023 Qualifiers Africa - January 21 
   • eFIBA 2023 Qualifiers Europe - January 22

Regional Finals
   • eFIBA 2023 Finals Asia (Middle East & South East Asia) - January 24
   • eFIBA 2023 Finals Africa - January 24
   • eFIBA 2023 Finals Americas (North & South America) - January 25 
   • eFIBA 2023 Finals Europe - January 25

A total of 30 National Federations are divided into six conferences and will be competing for the title of Conference Champions.

In Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, Morocco and Tunisia. For the Americas, Argentina, Barbados, Brazil and Puerto Rico. In Asia, Qatar, Indonesia, Lebanon, Mongolia, Philippines and Saudi Arabia, And in Europe, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine. 

Each National Federation is represented by a team of a minimum of five players, each playing their own personal in-game avatar.

Several of the FIBA Esports Open 2021 champions are participating in Season 1 and the tournaments will be all about national pride as the very best players from each nation fight it out on the digital court to gain glory for their own country.

All the action will be available on the eFIBA_official channels on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok and can be followed on each regional event website in Africa, the Americas (North and South), Asia (Middle East & South East Asia) and Europe. Broadcasts will be live on Twitch and YouTube via FIBA. 

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About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.basketball) - the world governing body for basketball, is an independent association formed by 212 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

For further information about FIBA, visit fiba.basketball or follow FIBA on facebook.com/fiba, twitter.com/fibainstagram.com/fiba and youtube.com/fiba

About EFG
The ESL FACEIT Group is the leading competitive games and esports company. At EFG we create worlds beyond gameplay where players and fans become a community. The company is built on the great legacy of the world-renowned ESL, FACEIT, DreamHack and DreamHack Sports Games brands. We harness this legacy to further innovate and develop the esports and gaming landscape worldwide. Working with our developer, publisher, brand, and media partners, we deliver products and experiences that accelerate gaming culture and make gamer communities come together. Join us on the journey as we help gaming communities thrive by creating worlds beyond gameplay that unite players, fans, and creators around the esports and games they love.