How eSoccer (FIFA) works: format, duration and statistics

Are eSoccer matches live or computer-simulated?

They are live. Two people are at a console at that moment, and the match is broadcast as it happens. That is what separates eSoccer from so-called virtual football or virtual games whose results are generated by an algorithm, with no human player and a score produced by a random-number generator.

The confusion is common because both appear side by side on many sites and both are virtual in the sense that they happen inside a game. The practical difference is that eSoccer has a performance history for each human player, because it is always the same person playing. A result generator has no history at all.

How long does an eSoccer match last?

Between 6 and 12 minutes of real time, depending on the league. The two most common formats are 8 minutes, played in two halves of 4, and 12 minutes, played in two halves of 6. The compressed time is the in-game clock: 90 minutes of football fit into a few real minutes.

That is why high scores are normal. An 8-minute match usually ends with more goals than a 90-minute football match because the video-game pace is faster and there is no dead time. Comparing eSoccer goal averages with real-football averages compares two different things.

What do eSoccer league names mean?

The name combines the organization running the competition with match duration — Esoccer Battle 8 minutes is the Battle league in the 8-minute format. The same organization often runs more than one format, and the number in the name is the information that changes the game.

• Esoccer Battle — 8 minutes — 1v1 matches lasting 8 minutes, split into two halves of 4
• Esoccer Liga Pro — 12 minutes — 1v1 matches lasting 12 minutes, split into two halves of 6
• GT Leagues — 12 minutes — Continuous league, with games starting every few minutes
• H2H GG League — 8 minutes — Head-to-head series between the same two players

Who are the eSoccer players?

They are professional video-game players, identified by a nickname, hired or registered in the leagues that run these competitions. Each plays many matches per day, which is the sport's most useful statistical feature: the same nicknames face each other repeatedly.

In real football, a head-to-head record between two teams may contain five matches over ten years, with completely different squads. In eSoccer, two players can have dozens of meetings in the same month, with the same two people. Head-to-head history matters much more here than in any real sport.

Are eSoccer results manipulated?

We cannot say that they are or are not, and anyone asserting either claim without proof is making it up. What we can do honestly is state what we know and what we do not know.

We know that matches are played by real people and broadcast, that leagues have identified operators, and that the results we publish come from the competition's official record, not our own estimate. We do not know of any independent integrity audit published by these leagues, and the volume of matches is too high for case-by-case inspection. A single unusual score proves nothing, and we do not publish match-integrity analysis.

How are eSoccer statistics produced?

From matches that have already ended. Our data provider records each league match — score, date, competition and the two players — and Green365 calculates goal averages, head-to-head records between two nicknames and each player's recent form from those records.

What does not exist here: eSoccer has no line-ups, refereeing, injuries or possession statistics recorded by the provider, so we publish none of that. Matches in progress appear live but enter averages only after ending, and the window used for each number is shown on the page. Details are in the methodology.

Where can you follow matches and numbers?

Matches in progress are on live eSoccer, the day's games are on best of the day, and nickname history is on eSoccer players. The full league list is in the eSoccer hub.