The 55th National Youth Sports Festival esports tournament kicks off on the 23rd at the Busan Esports Arena. It is a milestone year, as this marks the debut of esports in the festival, featuring FC Online in both team and individual categories. The action unfolds over two days, from the 23rd to the 24th.

This is the first time esports has been included in a state-sanctioned athletic competition, a significant step for the school esports ecosystem. By establishing a framework that allows student athletes to record their tournament achievements in their official school records, it aims to provide a more stable foundation for their competitive journeys.

Forty-three athletes, representing all 17 cities and provinces, have made it through their local qualifiers to compete here. We have representatives from Busan, the capital region including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, as well as Gangwon State, the Chungcheong region (Daejeon, Sejong, Chungnam, Chungbuk), the Jeolla region (Gwangju, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk), the Gyeongsang region (Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Daegu, Ulsan), and Jeju.

The tournament begins at 12:00 PM on the 23rd with the individual qualifiers between Gangwon State and Jeollanam-do, running through to the semi-finals. On the 24th, starting from 11:00 AM, the team round of 16 kicks off, followed by the grand finals for both categories. Student athletes will be awarded medals and certificates based on their performance, with trophies waiting for the winning teams.

Entry is free for all spectators, and the venue will be buzzing with various events including FC Online demos and fan zones to cheer on local teams. You can catch the matches live via School Esports YouTube, Chzzk, and SOOP.