The 2026 eChampions League brought together 36 of Europe’s best players from 17 domestic leagues, all competing for the biggest prize in European FC. Featuring stars such as defending champion Emre Yilmaz, Vejrgang, nicolas99fc and Tekkz, the tournament delivered drama, goals and major upsets throughout both the league and knockout phases.

Using a UEFA Champions League-style format, all 36 players competed in a six-match league phase. The top eight advanced directly to the round of 16, while players finishing between ninth and 24th entered a play-off round. The bottom 12 were eliminated.

The opening match immediately set the tone as reigning champion Emre Yilmaz defeated FC Pro world champion ManuBachoore 4-3 in a thrilling contest between the Team Liquid team-mates.

One of the first major shocks came when Benfica’s Leks beat world No1 Vejrgang 7-5. High-scoring matches quickly became a theme of the competition, with Alihanlion impressing with dominant victories, including a remarkable 13-2 win over Rafa Monteiro. Karimisbak also caught the attention with a commanding 9-1 success against xMUSTI19.

By the end of day one, Emre Yilmaz, Alihanlion, Bonanno and nicolas99fc had all maintained perfect records. Vejrgang recovered from a slow start to overcome Montaxer 7-2 and kept his qualification hopes alive.

Day two produced even more goals. Vejrgang bounced back emphatically with a 12-2 triumph over Bero, while DFernandes defeated Dan1K 12-1. Hannover 96’s xMUSTI19 also secured a rare 10-0 clean-sheet victory against Domasas.

One of the standout moments of the league phase came in round five when Levi de Weerd achieved the biggest winning margin in eChampions League history, beating Dan1K 17-1 in a ruthless attacking performance.

The final round brought intense drama as several players battled to avoid elimination. PHzin secured survival with a dramatic 6-5 success over HHezerS, while Tuga810 nervously waited on other results after drawing 3-3 with Levi de Weerd. The Portuguese player would squeeze through in 23rd place.

Tekkz also advanced despite a final-day loss to ManuBachoore, setting up a play-off with Leeds United team-mate NiKSNEB.

Emre Yilmaz finished as the only player with a perfect six wins from six, scoring 34 goals along the way. Joining him in the automatic round of 16 qualification spots were Leks, Nassada, nicolas99fc, Vejrgang, Alihanlion, DFernandes and MarwanMC9.

The knockout phase raised the stakes further. Samugamer edged Jafonso 4-3 after extra time, while ManuBachoore comfortably dispatched RvPLegend 7-3.

One of the most memorable matches saw PHzin outlast Levi de Weerd 6-5 after extra time. Levi appeared set for victory until PHzin equalised deep into added time and scored the winner with the final kick of the game.

Another thriller involved Leeds United team-mates Tekkz and NiKSNEB. Their familiarity made for an entertaining contest, but it was Tekkz who advanced with a 5-3 win to earn a blockbuster clash against Vejrgang.

The highest-scoring game of the round was GugaFerraz and Bonanno’s 10-10 draw – with GugaFerraz advancing 6-5 on penalties. LuukWijdeveld also sneaked past SmalkXVII 5-4 after extra time.

The round of 16 then determined the final eight players heading to Budapest.

The biggest shock came when Samugamer ended Emre Yilmaz’s unbeaten eChampions League run with a dramatic 5-4 victory. MarwanMC9 continued his impressive form by defeating ManuBachoore 5-4 in a rematch of the eLigue 1 final.

Nicolas99fc gave one of the most convincing displays of the round, beating fellow South American PHzin 7-3 to clinch his place in the finals.

However, the headline match was undoubtedly Vejrgang versus Tekkz. Widely regarded as two of FC Pro’s biggest stars, the pair produced an instant classic featuring 16 goals, controversy and a penalty shoot-out after finishing 8-8. Vejrgang eventually held his nerve to win the shoot-out 4-2 and progress.

Elsewhere, Nassada overcame GugaFerraz 5-2, Alihanlion beat LuukWijdeveld 5-1, and HHezerS completed a stunning comeback to defeat Leks 3-2.

The final match of the night saw DFernandes fight back from 3-0 down to beat Maxkoelemaij 6-5 with an added-time winner, sealing the last spot in Budapest.

After hundreds of matches and countless goals, the eChampions League was finally down to eight players. With the finals set for Budapest, Europe’s best FC Pro competitors are now only a few games away from glory.