Football: Champions Cup
Football: Champions Cup is a football themed slot released to coincide with the 2016 European Championships. An interest in soccer will enhance the game but you don’t have to be a football fan to enjoy this sporty NetEnt video slot. It features crisp, detailed graphics, clear sound effects and is available on both desktop and mobile devices.
The special features include wilds and overlay wilds that substitute for other symbols to make more winning combinations possible. There is also a penalty shoot-out bonus game where you must try and outfox the goalkeeper to win additional coins, with a chance at multiplied wins. On top of this, there is a special free spins game which is played out like the knockout phase of Euro 2016. If you manage to win your free spins match, you’ll advance to the next round. Make it to the latter stages and you’ll get a bonus prize on top of your free spins winnings.
It’s a 5-reel, 3-row video slot with 20 fixed bet lines. Coin values range from 0.01-0.50 and there are 10 bet levels. This allows you to play from as little as 20p or as much as £100 per spin. The jackpot payline is worth 2,000 coins at bet level 1, which is equal to £10,000 when high-rolling at the maximum bet limits.
Given the theme, it’s little surprise that the backdrop is a packed football stadium. On the reels, you’ll see prize symbols such as football players, shirts, boots and the referee’s whistle. The crowd noises give this slot a real sense of occasion and you’ll be treated to some fairly cheesy music whenever you hit a winning bet line.
How To Play Football: Champions Cup Slot
It’s always best to find out how online slots work before spinning the reels. With this in mind, click the ‘i’ in the bottom-left to see the paytable and bet line mappings. This will allow you to get an overview of the special features and values for each prize symbol.
The football symbol is wild and substitutes for all other symbols apart from scatter symbols and bonus symbols. They also combine to award coins with 5 wilds required to hit the jackpot of 2,000 coins at bet level 1. This is twice the value of the highest paying standard symbol which is the footballer. In order to make a winning combination, the symbols must appear from left to right on a bet line, starting at the leftmost reel. There are also special overlay wilds that can appear at any time in the base game. One or more footballs will bounce across the reels and replace standard symbols at random.
Scatter symbols are represented by a trophy and can appear on reels 2,3 and 4 only. They do not need to be on the same bet line and 3 or more scatters will unlock the free spins game. Here your team will enter a knockout competition, with the ultimate aim being to make it to the final. You will be pitted against other teams along the way, with each ‘match’ being an individual round of 6 free spins. During each match, blue scoring wilds appearing on reels 1 and 2 will score you one goal each while red scoring wilds on reels 4 and 5 will score one goal each for the opposition. Win the game and you’ll advance to the next stage and take part in another match. Finish third for up to a 4,000 coin bonus on top of your free spins winnings, second for up to an extra 20,000 coins and win the final to scoop up to a massive 100,000 coins. The bonus prize will be relative to your stake on the spin that unlocks the bonus game.
Bonus symbols can appear on any reel and like scatter symbols, do not need to appear on the same bet line. Get 3 or more bonus symbols to enter the penalty shoot-out bonus game. The number of bonus symbols that trigger the game will affect the potential of your multiplier. 3 will give you a multiplier between 1x and 12x while 4 Bonus symbols will give you a multiplier between 3x and 14x and 5 will give you a multiplier of between 5x and 16x. In the bonus game, you will take on the role of both the penalty taker and goalkeeper in alternating rounds. As the penalty taker, your task is to select one of four corners and beat the keeper. Choose correctly and you’ll win the hidden coin prize. As the goalkeeper, you must guess the right way and save the opposition’s penalty. Guess correctly and a multiplier will be applied to your bonus game winnings. Guess wrong and the opposition will score a goal. The bonus round continues until both teams have taken 5 penalties each or either team has been declared the winner, with sudden death used in the event of a tie.
You’ll need to select a team when you start the game. This can be done by clicking one of the team’s national flags or you can click ‘Random’ to have one automatically assigned. The team you select will have no bearing on the game, it’s merely a gimmick that is in keeping with the theme. Then it’s simply a case of choosing your coin value and using the bet level to determine how many coins you’d like to place on each bet line. For example; a coin value of 0.05 at bet level 3 will cost 3.00 per spin (0.05 x 3 = 0.15 x 20 bet lines = 3.00). Be careful when using the max bet button as the cost per spin will be 200 times the coin value displayed.
Once you’re ready to begin, simply click the circle with blue arrows in the centre to spin the reels. Alternatively, you can set up the auto spin feature by clicking ‘Autoplay’ which will allow you to customise various settings before proceeding.
Football: Champions Cup Slot Tips
You can play Football: Champions Cup video slot at bet365 Vegas among other NetEnt casino operators. It is not part of any free spins offer or featured in a welcome package but you can use this slot to try and wager through a casino bonus, as long as the wagering requirements are not too high. Just be aware that there can be one or two lean spells between hitting the features or getting any notable wins.
You can receive some fairly big payouts on this game but not the kind of money that is likely to change your life. Wild symbols help to keep the low-key winnings flowing and the bonus game is a regular feature for mid-level prizes but your best chance of a big win comes in the free spins game.
During free spins, your bankroll will remain unaffected. If you’re lucky enough to advance to the latter stages of the competition then you can accumulate a hefty stack of coins along the way. As mentioned earlier, the casino rewards for going all the way are considerable with 500x your stake up for grabs, if you win the final.
Is Football: Champions Cup The Right Slot For You?
If you’re looking for a good blend of risk and reward, then Football: Champions Cup slot is ideal. It’s a medium variance game that offers lengthy entertainment with good bankroll management and the chance to pick up some pretty decent wins. The return to player (RTP) is 96.8% which is good for an online slot and gives the casino a house edge of just 3.2%.
It’s a slot for players who like plenty of variety in the gameplay. The bonus game is an active feature so you’ll be able to put yourself through the nervous tension of a penalty shoot-out quite frequently. The free spins game is more elusive but offers a similar experience as you watch in hope for a blue scoring wild to send your team through to the next round.
There are some nice touches to the base game too. The crowd gets ever louder with each bonus symbol that spins in, much like when a football team is building an attack and getting nearer to the opposition’s goal. Any football fan that likes online slots is sure to love this game. But even if you don’t appreciate the beautiful game, there’s a lot to like about it and we think you’ll be playing it long after Euro 2016 has been concluded.
