We are tantalizingly close to the FC Pro Open Finals on Saturday 3 February, and every player has had their own unique route to get there.

Here is how Emre Yilmaz, Umut, PHzin, Young, Vejrgang, AbuMakkah, Levi De Weerd and Obrun made it this far.

Emre Yilmaz

The Team Gullit player started the Global Qualifier Swiss Stage with a defeat against Young on penalties and ended it by losing 8-6 against Lukas, but won his three matches between those to make the Knockout Stage. 

Emre Yilmaz then started with a loss again, being outdone 3-2 by Bonanno, but was dominant after that as he won 7-1 and 5-0 against xcharifx and CameronRock respectively.

That dominance continued into the Open, as he suffered one defeat in his eight matches with that coming in the form of a 4-2 loss against Umut in Round 8. There were some massive wins on the way to securing top spot, including a 7-3 and 5-1 against Lukas, 6-1 against Mark11 and 6-2 against .

Umut

Like Emre Yilmaz, Umut started the Global Qualifier Swiss Stage with a defeat, as BerkayLion secured a 4-3 win. The RBLZ player responded by beating MUAE14 and Lamps, then lost to AbuMakkah but once again bounced back by edging past K1john with a 5-4 victory.

Things were a lot more straightforward in the Knockout Stages, as the German proved a point by beating BerkayLion 3-1 and then earned a resounding 9-1 victory over CameronRock.

He started the Open with an eye-catching draw against Emre Yilmaz, before beating Lukas, Mark11 and H1dalgo to end Match Week 1 joint-top of Group A with 10 points. Umut got a statement win in Match Week 5 when he overcame Emre Yilmaz 4-2, even if a draw with Lukas and defeat against Mark11 meant the German had to settle for second place.

PHzin

The Ajax player is one of two in the Quarter Finals that didn't have to compete in the Global Qualifiers, earning automatic qualification to the Open after reaching the 2023 FIFAe World Cup semi-final.

PHzin started his campaign after Mark11's display had sparked questions about whether or not automatic qualifiers could adapt to FC 24 at the highest level, but the Brazilian quickly dispelled them by ending Match Week 2 unbeaten and top of Group B.

While Match Week 6 started with a draw against Young and 4-0 loss against FacuCowen, PHzin soon recovered to overcome Bonanno and Happy on his way to securing top spot with 17 points and being the Group Stage’s top goalscorer.

Young

The Brazilian started the Global Qualifier in an eye-catching fashion, as he beat Emre Yilmaz on penalties after drawing 4-4 against the highly-regarded Dutchman. There were defeats against Paulo Neto and Happy along the way, but wins against iAlawe and Brechexx got him through to the Knockout Stages.

That started with another draw, but AntoniniGabriel came out on top in the penalty shootout after the match had ended 7-7. Young still made it to the Open convincingly, with a 7-3 win over Klinger being followed by an even bigger 9-2 victory against NEissaT.

With PHzin leading the way in Group B at the Open, there was a three-way tussle between Tuzzy Esports’ Young, FacuCowen and Happy for second place, and the Brazilian took the spot thanks to goals scored. 

Match Week 6 particularly was a rollercoaster for him, starting with a 6-1 win over Happy that was followed by a breathtaking 6-6 draw against PHzin. After losing against FacuCowen, Young then secured the 6-3 win over Bonanno that saw him progress by the finest of margins.

Vejrgang

There was a surprise loss for Vejrgang in the opening match of the Global Qualifier Swiss Stage, as he was beaten 7-5 by JistenNSQ. The RBLZ player responded emphatically, putting 11 goals past Kun before defeating NiKSNEB, tuga810 and Julien. In the Knockout Stages, a defeat against Bonanno was sandwiched between wins over xcharifx and BerkayLion to confirm the Dane’s place at the Open.

Vejrgang was among the players that fans were most excited to see in the Group Stage and showed why, going on to take the highest points tally of anybody in the competition with 20. There were also moments that caught the eye, such as his goalkeeper movement during the 2-1 win over AbuMakkah and his antics in the 6-2 win against ManuBachoore resulting in the Dutchman refusing to shake hands after the final whistle.

AbuMakkah

The Team Falcons player started the Global Qualifiers with a 3-2 loss to Adrian Cifuentes, but he then won every other match during the Swiss Stage and Knockout Stages with the highlight undoubtedly being a 6-1 win against Umut.

AbuMakkah was then quietly impressive during the Group Stage of the Open, finishing seven points ahead of third-placed ManuBachoore to book his place in the Finals. Understated in his reactions but devastating on the pitch, the Saudi Arabian recorded the Open’s first clean sheet when he beat seanldw 2-0 and his only defeats came against Vejrgang.

Levi De Weerd

The Team Gullit player won all of his first four matches in the Global Qualifiers’ Swiss Stage before suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat against Tekkz. In the Knockout Stages, he beat Klinger 4-2 before being beaten by AntoniniGabriel but bounced back to win 2-1 against JH7 to earn his place at the Open.

Levi De Weerd was put in Group D, which quickly became known as the Group of Death, but made light work of progressing as he confirmed his place in the Quarter Finals with two matches to spare and finished top with 18 points.

He set the tone in Match Week 4 with a 4-2 win over Tekkz in the opening match, then responded to a defeat against Obrun by defeating Fouma and The1OS. Having started Match Week 8 by beating Fouma again, Levi De Weerd then got the better of Obrun and let out a victory roar when the final whistle confirmed his place in the Quarter Finals. He still beat The1OS 6-1 in the following match, meaning a defeat against Tekkz in the closing fixture was inconsequential for the Dutchman.

Obrun

Alongside PHzin, Obrun is one of two players in the Finals who didn’t have to go through the Global Qualifier, as he also made the semi-final of the 2023 FIFAe World Cup.

There were concerns that the Hellas Verona player might be another automatic qualifier who would struggle to adapt, as he started Match Week 4 with a draw against Fouma and 3-0 defeat at the hands of The1OS. He responded well, though, going on to beat both Levi De Weerd and Tekkz.

Match Week 8 fell on Obrun’s birthday and gave him a day to remember, as a win, draw and defeat set up a decider against Fouma for second spot in Group D. The Italian only needed to draw but went on to secure a 4-3 victory and the last spot in the Quarter Finals.

Having come so far, he and everybody in the Finals will be giving their all to become the FC Pro Open champion. Find out how to watch them in action here.