Team Liquid acquires notable EA FC organisation Team Gullit

Global esports organisation Team Liquid has announced the acquisition of Team Gullit, the EA FC team named after football legend Ruud Gullit.

Going forward, Team Gullit will be competing under the Team Liquid banner. The organisation also inherits Team Gullit’s current roster of players, which includes Emre Yilmaz, Levi de Weerd and Manuel Bachoore, all of whom were raised from its academy programme.

Additionally, as part of the acquisition deal, Team Gullit co-Founder Corné Dubelaar will step down from day-to-day operations of the EA FC team. However, he will continue as an advisor to Team Liquid.

Moreover, Team Liquid will utilise the Team Gullit HQ in Alkmaar, Netherlands, as another hub for the organisation’s operations.

According to a release, the EA FC division will be supported by partners such as SAP and Alienware to scout, train and develop future EA FC champions.

A possible Team Gullit acquisition was in the air after the two partnered up for last year’s Esports World Cup. Last year, Team Gullit player Manuel Bachoore finished Top 8 in EA FC, helping Team Liquid finish second place in the Esports World Cup (EWC) Club Championship and win $4m (~£3m) through its prize pool.

With the 2025 Esports World Cup forcing esports clubs to compete under the same name listed in the Club Championship to be eligible to collect points for the EWC Club Championship, which features a $27m (~£20.3m) prize pool, Team Liquid’s acquisition allows the organisation to earn the points from the EA FC tournament.

This also marks a further expansion by Team Liquid in the global esports landscape, after acquiring South East Asian esports organisation STUN.GG and its Mobile Legends: Bang Bang teams (Aura Esports and Echo Esports) last year. With this move, EA FC is added to an ever-growing list of game titles Team Liquid competes in, which includes the likes of League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, Starcraft II, Overwatch and Chess, among others.

Victor Goossens, Co-CEO and founder of Team Liquid, commented on the acquisition: “Team Gullit built something incredible through their entrepreneurial spirit. They developed a nimble commercial approach in a difficult market that combined great scouting and training, fantastic content and marketing, and a brand connection to Ruud Gullit — a Dutch legend in football.

“The Team Gullit HQ in Alkmaar will become another Team Liquid hub in the Netherlands, where we will be able to hold bootcamps for players and events for our fans. We are proud and grateful to call them a part of Team Liquid.”