South African EA Sports FC 27 players will compete for a place at a world final in Miami when the Red Bull Wings Cup gets under way on September 29.
The competition will run online, leading to a 16-player national final at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on November 1.
The South African winner will advance to the world final, which organisers expect to stage in Miami, January 2027.
For Zaid April, an EA Sports FC player for Goliath Gaming and the 2023 South African Football Association eCup champion, the tournament’s appeal includes the opportunity to bring local players together.
“It’s a great way to bring the EA Sports FC community together, compete against the best and experience the Red Bull energy,” April said.
In a 2023 interview, April described his routine, which included playing matches, studying opponents, and working on his concentration. “I practice five days a week for six or seven hours, but a lot of that time is spent analysing games,” he said.
Three years after describing that routine, April said he was looking forward to testing himself in EA Sports FC 27.
“With EA Sports FC 27 coming out, I’m excited for the new challenges and can’t wait to get my hands on it. Hopefully, I can put on a good show and compete for the win,” he said.
Busisiwe Masango-Steenkamp and Sam “Tech Girl” Wright.
Growing the local esports scene
In 2022, esports commentator Sam “Tech Girl” Wright and Goliath Gaming organised ‘Play FIFA Like A Girl‘ in Johannesburg to help women and younger esports talent learn the game or improve their skills.
Wright said the initiative prioritised women gamers who needed access to consoles, data, and the game, and would give them opportunities to learn from experienced competitors.
“We raise the community by being a community,” Wright said.
The initiative has proven successful in identifying new talent. Wright noted that Goliath Gaming had noticed esports player Busisiwe Masango-Steenkamp’s ability in 2023 and encouraged their organisation to consider signing her.
By the following year’s event, Masango-Steenkamp was a Goliath Gaming player and returned to help host the 2024 workshop.
Professional esports players wearing Red Bull and RB Leipzig jerseys shaking hands at a console gaming station during the Red Bull Re Kaofela South Africa Tour.
Comic Con Africa activation
Beyond previous activations like the Re Kaofela tour, Red Bull said EA Sports FC fans can also experience and try out the new game in competition at Comic Con Africa, which runs from September 24 to 27, 2026, at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec.
The Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) has launched a digital storytelling campaign in which people who have experienced homelessness describe the losses, daily struggles and hopes behind their circumstances.“This Is Not My Forever” brings together accounts of family deaths, childhood abuse, addiction, separation from children, and the difficulty of finding somewhere safe to sleep.Through first-person video interviews, the campaign challenges the idea that homelessness defines a person permanently.After […]
