RIYADH: Despite putting up an excellent fight, Saudi eSports player Mosaad Al-Dossary was unable to take home the gold at the FIFA eWorld Cup finals in London.
The competition at The O2 Arena saw the reigning world champion, who plays under the name Msdossary go head-to-head with German player Mohammed “MoAuba” Harkous in the final match.
Ultimately, Harkous prevailed, defeating Al-Dossary with a final score of 3-2 - the first time a German player has won the competition.
Al-Dossary, who won the eWorld Cup last year and is a three-time FUT Champions Cup winner aged just 19, took home the Xbox title and $100,000 in prize money.
In the final, he went up against the PlayStation champion, MoAuba, with the two switching consoles for the final match.
A fan-favorite in Saudi Arabia, Al-Dossary and his coach, Spencer “Gorilla” Ealing played a brilliant game. The first leg of the match ended in a 1-1 tie, but Harkous eventually gained the upper hand, winning by one goal at the final whistle.
Prior to the match, Al-Dossary told the crowd that he was feeling really good and confident in his ability to play well using either the Xbox or the PS4. “I’m equally good with both consoles so I’m not worried about switching,” he said.
The tournament, streamed worldwide, was made available with commentary for the first time in six languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic. Notably, the Arabic stream peaked during the final match at more than 40,000 viewers, with many Saudis cheering on the champion.
However, despite Al-Dossary’s loss, he was praised by both the commentators and many in the stream chat for his resilience and refusal to give up, even in the final seconds of the game.
Al-Dossary did, however, win the Adidas Dare to Create award, which he accepted with good grace and a smile.
When asked how he was feeling, Al-Dossary congratulated his opponent. “Obviously I’m sad, but Mo deserved the win, so congratulations to him. And no worries, I’ll be back for the trophy next year,” he said.
Al-Dossary is the first Saudi FIFA player to join a major American eSports organization, playing under the Rogue eSports brand.
