eFootball™ 2023 ‘genderless’, according to the female pioneers creating waves at #GEG22

Friends, rivals and now international athletes, Chilean Dhayann Muñoz, and Brazil’s Monik Bisoni, see ‘no limits’ for women in eFootball

Dhayann Muñoz of Chile (left), and Brazil's Monik Bisoni, enjoy a game of eFootball. Photo: Ben Queenborough/GEF

It is simple for Dhayann Muñoz and her great mate Monik Bisoni; they are blasting a path at the Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games for others to follow.

“We are role models for other generations. Times are changing, and opportunities are coming,” Muñoz said after her first-round eFootball™ 2023 tie at #GEG22.

The 28-year-old civil engineer knows what she is talking about. She is living this Global Esports Federation-fueled change. A keen gamer since she was 10, Muñoz has spent years dedicating as much time as possible to eFootball, training at nights after work and trips to the gym.

For a long time, she felt somewhat alone as a woman in this male-dominated world, but was then invited to travel to Asunción, Paraguay in October this year for the inaugural GEF-affiliated South American Esports Championships. That was when she knew “things were changing for women in eFootball.”

The five other women competing in Asunción, including Brazilian Monik Bisoni, have all become “great friends.”

“It wasn’t just competition,” Muñoz said. “We supported each other, we cheered each other.” Bisoni, who plays eFootball for renowned Brazilian club Corinthians, won the gold, but ultimately it was “all about building the community.”

LadiesPES is the group which Bisoni and Muñoz foster, the aim being to tie in female players from across the world. To date, they have around 20 members, with women from Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Spain, Portugal, and France. It is a perfect example of a #worldconnected.

“It is like having a big family of people who share the same interests and passion,” an excited Muñoz explained.

Bisoni, who combines playing football for her city with a “minimum of six hours’ eFootball per day”, admits it is just “work, sleep, and football” for her.

The 27-year-old from a São Paulo suburb is in Istanbul helping to coach the Brazilian team. With just one spot open to each nation, she lost out to compatriot Eduardo Spek de Freitas. But, like Muñoz, she has been playing for fun against plenty of the male competitors in the evenings, and loving every moment.

“It is genderless when we play. Physiology is not important in eFootball,” said the woman who helped Corinthians win the Brazilian eFootball national club title just four weeks ago.

“I am sad not to play here, I feel like I would be in the top 10, but I just love eFootball™, I always want to play it.”

Bisoni and Muñoz agree it is “a good feeling” to be in Istanbul, with the Chilean adding: “From Paraguay to here is a big step up. Here, we have so many nations, so many people with a passion for esports.”

International competition has changed the attitudes of both women’s families. Muñoz in particular is amused by the fact her parents now tell her to train, having previously been concerned she was wasting her time being behind a screen every evening.

However, neither wants to stop now. With women’s football growing in prevalence across the globe, they want to ensure eFootball keeps up.

“If a woman eFootball player is reading this, please feel free to join us. You can find us on social media @LadiesPES,” Muñoz said. “We can’t see limits for women.”

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