Aylesbury gamer qualifies for nationwide FIFA 22 tournament taking place at Wembley Stadium

Ben Evans will compete at a live tournament at the home of football after coming through UK-wide qualifying.

At the tournament Ben will take on England footballers and EXCEL esport gamers, as well as fellow qualifiers, at the famous sporting location.

To reach the final Ben had to navigate one of three semi-finals held at grassroots E-sports clubs.

Ben took on other adept gamers at the Merseyrail Ladies FC clubhouse in Liverpool.

He came out on top in a round-robin tournament.

Ben said: “It feels great to have reached the final.

"I was confident coming into the tournament but I didn’t expect to get that far!

"It will be great to meet the other contestants and compete at Wembley Stadium.”

The live final will be hosted in The FA Club Box at Wembley Stadium on 23 August and will be live-streamed on the England national football team’s Twitch channel here.

A champion will be crowned after a round robin tournament, all six finalists will take on England footballers and EXCEL esport gamers.

Reg Standish, chairman at Merseyrail Ladies FC: “It was fantastic for our club to host the Semi-Final of the Connected Club Cup. The atmosphere was brilliant on the day. It was really good to see the contestants enjoying the competition at our facilities.”

Ben’s competition is Brad Colston from Burnley; Alfie Calder from Nottinghamshire; Luke Downing from Norwich; Harvey Waters from Salisbury; and Lolingo Weye from London.

Matches are played not only on Playstation, but also Xbox testing the players’ adaptability.

Prizes up for grabs at the final in August include: tickets to an England Football match, Wembley Stadium concert tickets and a yearly EE Full Fibre subscription.

Navin Singh, commercial director at the FA, said: “The Connected Club Cup is giving the six gamers a chance to show off their skills and build a future in FIFA esports from the home of English football, Wembley Stadium.

“This new initiative will bring together football communities through esports and promote improved digital connectivity at grassroots clubs across the country.”