The social football community 433 will feature premium short form video-on-demand formats and further innovative social content stories from the bevestor Virtual Bundesliga (VBL) on the 433 esports channel. The partnership will focus on increasing the global visibility of DFL’s eFootball competition, kicking off with the upcoming VBL Grand Final by bevestor on June 4 – 6. In addition, the entire next season of the VBL will be accompanied by 433 with English-language highlight content, with 433 also delivering engaging content via Instagram including recaps, goals of the day, and quiz games, thus providing further engaging social content for the global eFootball community.

With over 65 million social media followers worldwide, 433 represents the largest digital football community in the world. Juul Manders, CEO of 433 said: “eFootball, and eSports in general, are a vital part of the 433 community. Through this partnership, we’ll be able to deliver the best content to our followers on 433esports, living up to our name as the Home of Football.”

ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, facilitated this cooperation. DFL and ESL are partnering to build up and expand an eFootball ecosystem as well as to further develop and professionalize the VBL.

About the Virtual Bundesliga

In 2012, the DFL became the first professional football league to have its own eSport competition when it launched the VBL in partnership with EA SPORTS. The VBL is still the only eSport competition of a professional football league to be directly integrated into the EA SPORTS FIFA game series. The VBL has enjoyed steadily growing popularity since its launch, with around 130,000 participants taking part last season. In 2018, the decision to launch the VBL Club Championship with the clubs of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in addition to the VBL Open competition for individual players was taken in response to the increasing popularity of the VBL, the growing relevance of eSport in general and the DFL’s focus on football simulation games. The two competitions are brought together, first in the VBL Playoffs and then in the VBL Grand Final. The DFL has also been cooperating with ESL Gaming, the world’s largest eSport company since 2020. With its expertise in building up and expanding ecosystems in conjunction with digital sport, the DFL would like to further develop and professionalise the VBL.

ESL Gaming, the world’s largest esports company, has today announced a strategic partnership with 433, the Home of Football and the world’s leading social soccer community, that will focus on increasing the global visibility and experience of the bevestor Virtual Bundesliga.