West Ham United and Ninjas in Pyjamas have teamed up to take part in the Betway esports Challenge – marking the first time a football club and eSports team have ever collaborated.
As part of the challenge, Hammers stars Javier Hernandez and Michail Antonio went head-to-head in a game of CS:GO, a competitive first-person shooter that is similar to Call of Duty.
Hernandez and Antonio, whose only previous gaming experience was playing FIFA, were taught how to play the game by two of Ninjas in Pyjamas’ star players, GeT_RiGhT and f0rest.
Hosted by BBC presenter OJ Borg, the Challenge tested of the players’ accuracy, speed and endurance, with the first player to eliminate their opponent eleven times being named the winner.
The Betway eSports Challenge was created by our principal sponsors Betway, who have been the headline sponsor of Ninjas in Pyjamas - known as ‘NiP’ to supporters – since September 2016.
NiP are legends in the world of eSports. They have won the IEM Oakland – one of CS:GO’s most prestigious tournaments – two years running, and earned almost £2m in prize money. CS:GO is one of the leading esports titles and, like the Premier League, is watched by millions of fans around the world.
After their first ever esports experience, Hernandez and Antonio turned the tables on GeT_RiGhT and f0rest by making them battle each other in a football challenge, which will be available to watch on Betway’s YouTube channel on February 26.