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Italian football club Genoa CFC has debuted its new ‘Mare Dentro’ jersey for the 2023/24 Serie A season at the FIFAe World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Taking place at the Gamers8 esports and gaming festival, the FIFAe World Cup sees 24 players compete for its $1m (~£764,000)  prize pool. The event officially commenced on July 16th and will conclude on the 19th.

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Andrea ‘Montaxer’ Montanini is among many FIFA players that are representing football clubs at the event, with the teams such as Lyon, Ajax and Atlanta United competing. The new jersey features Genoa CFC’s official esports partner — management and consulting agency Pro2Be Esports — on the shoulder of the shirt.

According to the Italian agency, this is the first time an official jersey of a football club will make its debut at an esports championship. Moreover, the logo placement on the jersey highlights a ‘strong bond’ between the club and its endeavour into esports. 

Pro2Be Esports has been an esports partner of Genoa CFC since February 2020, with the agency providing support to the club’s competitive gaming efforts. The Italian team currently only competes within the FIFA esports scene, with the club’s most notable achievement being a second-place finish during the eSerie A TIM 2020-21 season.

Alongside Genoa, the agency also represents fellow Serie A club Sassuolo.

The FIFAe World Cup is one of the largest esports tournaments within the sports simulation ecosystem, particularly with the competition’s prize pool having been increased following its inclusion in Gamers8. Alongside the  FIFAe World Cup, the FIFAe Nations Cup, and the FIFAe World Cup will take place in Riyadh for this year’s event. 

This will also be the last year EA Sports FIFA esports competitions, with EA rebranding the series after ending its relationship with the football governing body.