The "National Prefectural eSports Championship 2024 SAGA," a national esports tournament where prefectural representatives compete, was held at SAGA Arena in Saga Prefecture for two days on Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15, 2024.
In the "eFootball" division, Saitama Prefecture representatives Neopon (@NeoponDA) and Kisepes (@kise_pes) won the championship!
Saitama Prefecture Representatives Win the "eFootball" Division!
For the first time, the first day saw five rounds and semifinals, contested by representatives from each prefecture who had won the online qualifiers.
The final match between the Hokkaido Prefecture representatives and Saitama Prefecture representatives, who advanced from the semifinals held on the first day, took place on the second day.
NKY_FUGA and Neopon Face Off in the Mobile Version!
The match started with the mobile version!
In eFootball, one representative from each prefecture participates in both the mobile version and the PlayStation version.
The winner is decided by the total score of the matches on each platform.
YouTubeBoth teams entered the second half with 0 points, but in the 66th minute of the second half, Hokkaido Prefecture representative NKY_FUGA scored a goal, taking a 1-point lead!
YouTubeHokkaido Prefecture won the mobile version 1-0!
In the PlayStation Version, ject and Kisepes Face Off!
Next up is the PlayStation version, with ject and Kisepes facing off.
Hokkaido Prefecture, leading in the mobile version, wanted to hold on to their lead in the PlayStation version.
If Saitama Prefecture tied this match, it would go to a third match.
In the 26th minute of the first half, ject scored the first point!
Combined with the mobile version, they led by a total score of 2 points.
YouTube
Saitama Prefecture wanted to make a comeback, and in the 61st minute of the second half, Kisepes scored a point!
This was Saitama Prefecture's first goal.
Having scored a point, Saitama Prefecture gained momentum.
They immediately scored another point, making it 1-2.
They tied the total score with the mobile version here.
With about 12 minutes left in the match, Saitama Prefecture scored another point!
Saitama Prefecture took the lead here!
Hokkaido Prefecture aimed to tie or reverse the score in the remaining 3 minutes of additional time, but the match ended here!
Saitama Prefecture won 3-2!
Kisepes: I thought I was strong in adversity even before the qualifiers, so I was playing with a smile the whole time, thinking I could do it even if I conceded a point first. I was that relaxed.
(Translated from Japanese)
Neopon: My mental state was really shaken during these two matches.
Kisepes is truly the strongest.
(Translated from Japanese)
The winner of the eFootball division was decided, and it was time for the awards ceremony, but someone was peeking out from behind the panel, observing the venue.
With the shout of "It's Egachan," Egashira 2:50, the presenter for the awards ceremony, appeared!
The venue was filled with laughter and excitement.
Egashira 2:50, who learned about the excitement of esports at this tournament, declared that he would participate next year!
Perhaps we might see Egashira 2:50 playing next year.
Medals and supplementary prizes were awarded by Egashira 2:50.
Interview with the Winning Saitama Prefecture Representatives Neopon and Kisepes!
Q. Congratulations on your great comeback victory!
When did you two first meet?
It was our first time meeting when we departed the day before yesterday.
Our faces were on the official website, so I thought, "This must be the person."
(Translated from Japanese)
Q. I felt that eFootball was a kind of psychological warfare. Since you started playing this game until now, has there been any change in your way of thinking, such as reading your opponent's mind?
Rather than outsmarting them, if you look at the surface, it's soccer, so while incorporating soccer as a game, I also needed the mindset of real-life soccer. In that sense, it was the same form in both the game and reality, so there wasn't much change.
(Translated from Japanese)
Q. Please tell us how you felt the moment you got a red card.
I really felt like I messed up.
(Translated from Japanese)
Q. There were many intense moments in the match. Please tell us about your state of mind during the game.
Kisepes: I told Neopon to just have fun, and that I would manage somehow whether we won or lost.
The moment the red card came out, I was like, "Seriously?", but he held them to 0-1, so I was like, "Okay, okay."
(Translated from Japanese)
Neopon: Since I'm a forward, I can't attack, but I can defend, so I felt like I just needed to hold them off.
(Translated from Japanese)
Q. While your partner was fighting, you both played an important role in supporting each other. Did you have any thoughts about your partner?
Neopon: My partner is the strongest.
I had a lot of trust in him.
(Translated from Japanese)
Kisepes: Since it was our first tournament together, if I told him to win, he would feel nervous and pressured. So I told him it was okay no matter what, and that even if we lost, I could turn it into an opportunity. I had that in mind, so I calmly told him it was okay to lose and just have fun.
(Translated from Japanese)
Q. Please tell us how you feel now that you've won.
Neopon: I really didn't even think about winning; it just felt like we kept advancing.
I'm frustrated that we lost in the final, so I want to practice starting now and play well next year.
(Translated from Japanese)
Kisepes: Actually, I won the National Sports Festival when I was a high school student in Mie in 2021. Since the high school National Sports Festival was abolished in 2023, the competition involving adults, not just students, started last year, and this is the second year. I'm very happy that I've been able to come this far.
My goal this time was to win as a high school student and then win the Open, so I'm happy that I was able to win.
(Translated from Japanese)
Q. Please tell us about your aspirations for next year.
Neopon: Next year, I want to win the championship with my own strength.
(Translated from Japanese)
Kisepes: Winning the National Sports Festival is not the end. My current goal is to achieve the triple crown: the eJ.League and the eFootball Open, which is a world tournament. I've achieved the first one.
Next, probably the eJ.League will come, so my current goal is to win the eJ.League and the eFootball Open to achieve the triple crown. I want to switch gears and work hard again.
(Translated from Japanese)
「全国都道府県対抗 eスポーツ選手権 2024 SAGA」
eFootball™部門今年の日本一は”埼玉県”に決定🔥
埼玉県代表
ネオぽん選手、キセペス選手
優勝おめでとうございます！✨🏅#eFootball #イーフト #全国eスポーツ選手権佐賀 pic.twitter.com/E8XIYKmfv4— eFootball™公式 (@we_konami) December 15, 2024
