Camp Nou hosts first regional final of Konami's PES League

This Saturday, the Camp Nou was the venue for the first European Regional Final of the PES League ‘Road to Cardiff’, a tournament being run by Konami with its Pro Evolution Soccer (PES 2017) football game.

The first sixteen games in the event were playing for four berths in the final to be played in Cardiff. José Carlos Sánchez won the regional final to book his ticket to the Welsh capital. The runner-up, Eldridge O'Niel, was a finalist at the PES 2015 world championships and was third at the PES EURO 2016. The action began at 10.00am and ended at 5.00pm CET. The event was broadcast live on different digital platforms, which allowed fans around the world to follow every move.

The agreement between FC Barcelona and Konami made it possible for the Camp Nou to be the venue for the big day. Last summer, the digital entertainment company became a Premium Partner of the club on a three-year deal.

Since then, Barça is faithfully reproduced as part of the Team ID and Player ID systems, not just physically but also in terms of the way the team and its individual players perform. From the possession based attacking game to the club anthem at the start of each match, Konami has fully recreated the Barça experience, including an exact replica of the Camp Nou stadium itself in the PES 2017 titles.

Liverpool’s Anfield will be the stage for the next leg of the contest. The eight Europeans will be joined in Cardiff by four qualifiers from the Americas, two from Asia and two from the rest of the world.