Garena Unveils eSports Roadmap For Free Fire India In 2021

Garena seems to have a lot in store for us in the upcoming year. The company has unveiled the new line-up of Free Fire eSports tournaments for India in 2021. 2020 has been a blast for the Free Fire eSports scene, but Garena is trying to top it off with 4 major tournaments across next year with a total prize pool of more than INR 2 crore (~$250k).

4 Major Tournaments of Free Fire eSports in 2021

Garena will host 4 blockbuster Free Fire tournaments across two pro circuits next year. Each pro circuit will consist of 2 tournaments. Check out all 4 Free Fire eSports tournaments for Indian players below (in chronological order):

• #1 Free Fire India Championship 2021 Spring
• #2 Free Fire Pro League 2021 Summer
• #3 Free Fire India Championship 2021 Fall
• #4 Free Fire Pro League 2021 Winter

Free Fire India Championship 2021 Spring

Since there was not a Pro League tournament held before the FFIC 2021 Spring, the top 6 finalists from Free Fire India Championship (FFIC) 2020 Fall will directly advance into the FFIC 2021 Spring League Stage. They will be joined by the remaining 6 finalists from the FFIC 2020 Fall after the Closed Qualifiers. Here they compete with Open Qualifiers for the remaining 12 slots to enter the League Stage. Only the best 12 squads from the League Stage can advance to the Grand Finals.

Free Fire Pro League

The Free Fire Pro League will kick off at the beginning of every competitive season. It is the first opportunity for teams who wish to enter FFIC 2021. We are expecting two splits of the Pro League in Summer and Winter 2021.

Each Pro League tournament will see 18 teams (12 finalists from the previous FFIC season and the top 6 teams from the Open Qualifiers) battling against each other. This tournament features a prize pool of INR 35 lakhs (~$48k) and an entry slot into the next FFIC. The best 6 teams will have direct seats in the next FFIC. However, 7th to 12th teams will have to fight their way in, should they want to skip the Open Qualifiers and advance immediately to the Closed Qualifiers.

Free Fire India Championship

The Free Fire India Championship (FFIC) is the final stage for any team that wishes to qualify for Free Fire’s international events. It will be a clash of the best teams throughout India, competing for a prize pool of INR 75 lakhs (~$102k) as well as the title of the best team in India. The champions also represent India on the international stage.

Indian teams can qualify for the FFIC League Stage by fulfilling one of the two following conditions: 

• Reach top 6 in the previous Free Fire Pro League Tournament
• Advance to top 12 in the Closed Qualifiers stage of the FFIC

All aspiring Indian eSports players can participate in the Open Qualifiers through the in-game Free Fire Cup Mode. Only the top teams from the Free Fire Cup can proceed to the Closed Qualifiers. Here they will join the 7th to 12th teams in the Free Fire Pro League to compete for the remaining 12 slots in the FFIC League Stage.

Hence, there will be a total of 18 teams in the FFIC League Stage. They will battle to decide the top 6 teams to advance directly to the Grand Finals. The remaining 12 teams have to compete in the play-ins for the remaining 6 slots.

Garena to Offer an INR 2 crore (~$250k+) Prize Pool for Free Fire eSports in 2021

If you combine all the prize pool of the four major tournaments, you will find that Garena is offering INR 2 crore (~$250k) as the prize pool for 2021's Free Fire eSports roadmap. Each of the Pro seasons will consist of 2 major tournaments, featuring INR 1 crore (~$136k) total rewards.