Three UK student teams qualify for Rocket League world championship

5 May 2022

Excellent news once again for esports in the UK and especially for the University of Portsmouth, Keele University, and the University of Salford. Each of their respective student Rocket League teams recently managed to qualify for the 2022 Collegiate Rocket League World Championship, one of the biggest and most prestigious Rocket League events of the year. They qualified for the World Championship via the European University Rocketeer’s Championship (EURC), the highest-level Collegiate Rocket League tournament for the EU region in the current academic year.

UK esports representation

Thanks to the excellent performances of the three previously mentioned teams, the United Kingdom will be well represented during the Collegiate World Championship taking place in Dallas, Texas, from June 3rd to June 5th this year. Porthmouth Paladins, the team from the University of Portsmouth as the name suggests, actually went on to win the European University Rocketeer’s Championship to qualify for the big event in June, while Keele Krakens from Keele University in Staffordshire finished third.

The third UK qualifier, Salford Lions, initially did not make it to the World Championship in Dallas as they finished 7th-8th. They didn’t give up though, and went for their last chance in the Europe Last Chance Qualifier, where they made it through to the upper semi-finals. A defeat against Hamburger Haie Ahoi Bois from the Hamburg University saw them drop to the lower bracket. This proved to be a blessing, as the British team went on to beat compatriots Warwick Park the Bus in the semis and then Dutch team Dorans Nijmegen in the final to secure a spot in the upcoming World Championship at the very last moment.

Successes piling up

Portsmouth Paladins and Keele Krakens in particular have been in great form of late, with their achievements during the European University Rocketeer’s Championship following success in April. Both teams managed to make it to finals of the National Student Esports (NSE) finals at Insomnia 68. At the time, both teams were riding high after recently securing their rickets for the EURC and it showed during the best-of-nine series for the NSE finals.

Portsmouth eventually ended up winning the title 5-3, but it was a closely contested battle. What helped them was the extra game they got from the start, thanks to coming from the upper bracket. Keele got off to a strong start though, winning the first two games, but then losing the subsequent two for an aggregate 3-2 score in favour of the Paladins after five games. Keele nevertheless refused to give up and took home the sixth game to make it 3-3 before Portsmouth smashing it in the seventh game with a spectacular winning goal in the dying seconds. They then won the eighth game as well to decide the 2022 NSE finals and take home the cup.