FIFAe World Cup 2021 cancelled: Julio “Beast” Bianchi not going to London

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In June, we reported that for the first time ever, a South African player would compete at the FIFAe World Cup this year. The player who managed to make it through the gruelling qualifier is Goliath Gaming‘s Julio “Beast” Bianchi.

Unfortunately, due to the current global situation, we are devastated to report that the FIFAe World Cup 2021 has been cancelled. Here's what you need to know, including what Julio "Beast" Bianchi had to say to his fans.

FIFAe World Cup 2021 cancelled

The FIFAe World Cup 2021 was supposed to take place in London from 6 to 8 August 2021. It would have featured the top FIFA 32 players in the world, including Julio "Beast" Bianchi. The tournament had a massive prize pool of $500,000 (roughly R6.8 million at the current exchange rate).

Recently, the tournament organizers announced the cancellation of the event. This also includes the FIFAe Nations Cup 2021 which was supposed to take place in Denmark from 20 to 22 August.

The announcement reads:

"In light of the current global COVID-19 pandemic and its continuing impact on travel and events beyond FIFA’s control, FIFA has decided to cancel the FIFAe World Cup 2021™ and the FIFAe Nations Cup 2021™.

Unfortunately, the FIFAe Nations Cup 2021™ and FIFAe World Cup 2021™ have been subject to the disruptive effect of the ongoing pandemic and subsequent global travel restrictions currently in place for qualified teams and players from around the world. Various stakeholders also raised concerns during discussions about the hosting of the tournaments in relation to the dynamic global situation. The latest developments would not guarantee the integrity of the competitions as well as the safety and health of all involved parties, which continues to be a priority for us."

So what happens now? Well, we don't know what the future holds and if there will be a FIFAe World Cup 2022. However, the players who qualified, including Julio "Beast" Bianchi, will all get an equal piece of the massive prize pool. Each player will get $15,625. That's roughly R228,000 at the current exchange rate.

On Twitter, Julio "Beast" Bianchi shared the news with his fans. The Goliath Gaming player said he was "absolutely gutted" by the news.

Julio "Beast" Bianchi states:

"I am absolutely gutted, as I would have loved to showcase myself on the world stage after an extremely challenging season. Unfortunately due to the current global situation, I understand that public safety will always be the number one priority. I trust that this is in God's will and that it was for the best. I appreciate your support and everything you've given me, see you next season."

While the FIFAe World Cup 2021 cancellation is understandable, it's still some devasting news. Hopefully, we will see a South African compete in the next FIFAe World Cup. Only time will reveal when the next FIFAe World Cup will take place. After all, it is unfortunate circumstances no one has control over.