Unsigned roster FRENCH CLASS qualifies for the Rocket League World Championships in Dusseldorf! Reunion Island makes them debut appearance at Worlds.
French Class, an unsigned roster comprising two South Africans – Werty & Sweaty Clarence – and a French Reunion island player – Wiiilooo – will be the second SSA team to represent the region at the Rocket League World Championship, joining Limitless.
The Rocket League World Championships is being held in Dusseldorf, Germany, from the 3rd of August. 32 teams from around the world will compete for a $2.1 Million prize pool.
The Sub-Saharan Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) is contested over eight months and nine regional tournaments. The top 2 teams qualify for Worlds. By the end of the 6th regional French Class (formerly ATK) were all but out of the running, sitting 5th in the standings, some distance behind 2nd place Nixuh 3rd place Orlando Pirates. During the six-week break between Regionals 6 and 7 the roster parted ways with ATK and added Sweaty Clarence to their roster. What transpired from that point was probably the greatest come-from-behind run the local scene has witnessed, reaching the Grand Final in all three of the remaining regional tournaments, earning $12000 and securing 2nd place by a single point.
Werty is an OG of the South African Rocket League scene, said qualifying for Worlds is “six years of work realised.” At the age of 20 – he has been grinding for this all his teen years. Wiiilooo, 17, who will be the first Reunion player at Worlds, said, “I’ve been playing the game for seven years, dreaming of one day competing at Worlds. Realizing that dream is my greatest happiness for me and the roster.” He certainly won’t be the last we’ll see from the French Island, which is producing a steady stream of amazing Rocket League players, second only to South Africa. Sweaty, the new man on the roster, simply said, “It feels incredible – we weren’t thinking about worlds, just the last three regionals and somehow, it all came together. I guess it was just meant to be.”
The depth of SSA Rocket League has exploded in only our second season in the Championship Series. Last season the race for Worlds was a two-horse race where Bravado and Orlando Pirates were so far ahead no other team was ever in the conversation. This season it was a six horse race going into the final Regionals, with the final spot only being decided on the very last day of the very last regional.
Next season promises to be even closer with more and more young talent finding their way into competitive Rocket League and who are poised to challenge the old guard of the scene next season.
The 2023/24 Season is expected to kick off in October.
The immediate priority for French Class will be to find an Org they can present that will help them prepare for the daunting task of facing the global greats of the game. If you are that org or know one they should be talking to, reach out before it’s too late.
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Ryan “Greybeard” is, by profession, a conference speaker, but by passion, he is a Rocket League evangelist for the SSA Region. You can check out more at Ryan at greybeard.gg