Pham Anh Tu once again showcases the strength of Vietnamese esports. Photo: NK FC MOBILE
The tournament, held in Seoul from October 21 to 25, marked the first-ever world championship for FC Mobile, a popular football video game often likened to a "World Cup of football esports."
Competing under the nickname FPLxChanh, Anh Tu faced Thai player KOG.RYU77 in the semifinals, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit to level the best-of-five series at 2-2.
After losing the first two games, he won the third 1-0 before claiming the fourth in a 5-3 penalty shootout.
The deciding game remained goalless through regulation time and extra time, forcing another shootout, which Anh Tu narrowly lost 5-6.
The defeat ended his hopes of reaching the final, but secured him a place among the world's top four FC Mobile players.
Anh Tu was the only one of Vietnam's four representatives to advance beyond the group stage, finishing top of Group F ahead of opponents from Egypt, Spain, and fellow Vietnamese player Le Gia Nam.
He then defeated Brazil's Reiss06 2-0 in the round of 16 before overcoming another Brazilian, Davizin7, 3-1 in the quarterfinals.
Davizin7 had previously won the eLibertadores Mobile 2026 title and swept all three of his group-stage matches.
Anh Tu's bronze-medal finish adds to his growing international achievements.
In August, he finished runner-up at the Mid-Season Playoffs in Bangkok, Thailand, earning $20,000 and a direct ticket to the world championship.
The two performances have brought his total prize money over the past two months to $40,000.
Organized by EA Sports, the inaugural FC Pro Mobile World Championship featured 32 players who qualified through national, regional, and international competitions, competing for a total prize pool of $250,000.
The champion received $60,000, the runner-up $40,000, and each joint third-place finisher $20,000.
In Sunday's final, Thailand's KOG.RYU77 defeated fellow Thai player ZMDxN4T.5U 4-1 to become the first FC Mobile world champion.
