The Road to The Nationals, the prelude to the country's first franchise-based esports league, has announced Tekken 7 as its much-awaited console qualifiers.

The Tekken 7 leg of the Road to The Nationals is set to begin on September 22 and will conclude in the Grand Finals at the E-sports and Gaming Summit (ESGS) 2018 at the Mall of Asia Arena from October 26 to 28.

Here comes a new challenger

The DOTA 2-PC Qualifiers for The Road to The Nationals has just hit the halfway mark with action set to resume on September 22. The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Season 2 (MPL), a proud partner league to the Road to the Nationals, has also started its online qualifier rounds.

The Road to the Nationals on Wednesday finally revealed the much-awaited game that will serve as the battlegrounds for its console game and Tekken 7 is the next battle.

The Tekken 7 qualifiers will be bracket-based double elimination with each round being a first to three. The winners of each qualifier will represent their region at the Grand Finals at the ESGS.

Road to The National Schedules

The remaining schedule of the Road to The Nationals is as follows:

PC Qualifiers: DOTA 2

September 22, TNC Bacolod (Bacolod)

September 29, localhost Café (Iloilo)

October 13, UGZ137 (Imus Cavite)

Grand Finals: October 26-28, E-sports and Gaming Summit , MOA Arena (Pasay)

Console Qualifiers: Tekken 7

September 22, First5 Lounge (Cebu)

September 29, Game Patch (Davao)

September 30, Captain Poy's (CDO)

October 6, Playbook Makati (Makati)

October 13, Secret Base (Marikina)

October 14, Playbook Makati (2nd Makati leg)

Grand Finals: October 26-28, E-sports and Gaming Summit , MOA Arena (Pasay)

Mobile Qualifiers: Mobile Legends (Mobile Legends Bang Bang Pro League Season 2) - all online

Regular Season - October 27 - December 9

Grand Finals - January 2019, venue TBA

Tekken Country

The Tekken Franchise has always been widely popular in the country, earning the local Fighting Game Community's (FGC) beloved moniker of "Tekken Country". It comes as no surprise that its latest iteration, Tekken 7, was selected as the final Console Qualifiers of the inaugural Road to The Nationals.

Since its release in July last year, Tekken 7 has been incredibly well-received by the community. The combination of new gameplay mechanics as well as some stellar crossover announcements with the world's top fighting game franchises has even piqued the interest of casual fans and observers. Meanwhile, the game's tight gameplay and timeless mechanics have once again hooked seasoned players and pros.

With even more support incoming from Bandai Namco heading into the game's second year and a variety of fans of all shapes and sizes, Tekken 7 is clearly the top fighting game in the country and it doesn't seem to be giving up the throne anytime soon.

Powered by PLDT and Smart Communications, the Road To The Nationals is the place for the best of the best to showcase their talent and skill in a high-stakes competitive environment. The tournament series is open to all, and aims to take only the best teams and players in several regions across the Philippines to the big stage for the finals at ESGS 2018.

For more details about the Road to The Nationals and The Nationals, visit http://thenationalsph.com.