Excel World Championship: Make it count!
As the Microsoft Excel World Championship grand final wraps up, we find out what it takes to compete against the best.
In brief
- The Microsoft Excel World Championship, part of the Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC), is attracting a growing number of participants and spectators.
- The competition runs throughout the year, giving Excel experts the opportunity to showcase and hone their skills.
- The grand final of the 2024 competition took place in Las Vegas on 4–5 December and is available to watch on the FMWC YouTube channel.
Since day one of the Microsoft Excel World Championship, the event’s founder, CEO, and owner Andrew Grigolyunovich dreamed of one day handing out a winner’s cheque of US$1 million.
“Another dream we’re working on is to create a global circuit of such events, similar to the ATP tour in tennis,” says Grigolyunovich, who is also CEO and founder of the Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC), which organises the Excel event.
While he’s still a long way from that US$1 million dream, the growth statistics of Excel esports indicate that it won’t be long before it becomes a reality.
Two years ago, the grand final event of the Microsoft Excel World Championship was held online and won by Australian Andrew Ngai, a director at Taylor Fry.
Last year, the grand final became a live event, held at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas. Finalists travelled from around the globe. Once again, Ngai walked away victorious, bagging a hat-trick of world championships. And he did it again this year, taking home a fourth consecutive title.
“While last year we had just 16 players and around 130 viewers in the arena, with a prize fund of US$10,000 and the tournament taking place over one evening, this year the Microsoft Excel World Championship final was held over two days in the arena,” says Grigolyunovich.
Locals could watch the event live (held 3–4 December in the US) and cheer on the many Australians and Kiwis taking part. There is also an official FMWC Game Day YouTube channel, as well as the finals channel.
“We have combined the pro-level finals of Microsoft Excel World Championship with the finals of Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge, which we also organise for students,” Grigolyunovich says. “As a result, we had as many as 184 players and probably up to 400 people in the audience, which was capacity.”
In 2024, the total prize fund grew to US$61,500 for the pros and US$33,000 for the students. Commentated coverage is available on YouTube, with last year’s finals package having earned almost three million views so far.
Initial qualification rounds – attracting 1000 participants in the Microsoft Excel World Championship (up from 600 the year before) and more than 8000 participants in the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge – take place online, meaning anybody can enter.
What skills do you need?
Three-time champion Ngai says that while certain skills required to compete in Excel esports are obvious, others are less so. The main tool used in the competition is naturally Microsoft Excel, and a very good working knowledge of that software is a must, he says. Beyond that, it’s about quick thinking, the ability to focus, and an analytical mindset.
“It’s about solving numerical problems and analytical problems,” Ngai says. “In the competition we use Excel to solve analytical problems. If you know all the functions of Excel, that’s great but that’s just half of the package.
“Don’t let that scare you off,” Ngai adds. “If you’re really good at Excel, you’re probably somewhat analytical already.”
The challenges vary broadly and samples can be found on the FMWC website. This is also where participants can sign up and begin competing in online battles held throughout the year – starting in January 2025 – which can lead to the opportunity to be invited to Vegas at the end of the year.
“Battles last 30 minutes and focus on solving a particular problem,” Ngai says. “Some of them are based on games like battleship or dominoes and well-known board games or card games that people might be familiar with, like poker.”
Other challenges could involve treasure hunts and survival tests, such as working out the best way across an island while carrying a load of picnic baskets and being hunted by hungry bears.
“They’ll give us a map and, in Excel, we have to work out how people travel across that map,” Ngai explains.
That’s what Ngai loves about Excel esports: the fun and focus on problem-solving.
“I do find it enjoyable. It has become something that’s quite special,” he says. “At first, it was just interesting and niche. Now, it has grown into something bigger, something we’re all beginning to take a bit more seriously. But it’s still a fun hobby in a really supportive environment.”
That’s something Grigolyunovich also appreciates about the competition – the sense of camaraderie among competitors.
“The community is very friendly,” he says. “They support each other in many ways, and the top players are willing to share their knowledge, including by recording video tutorials on YouTube. That’s something you would probably not expect in a competitive setting.”
Who takes part?
While anybody can enter the Microsoft Excel World Championship, most competitors work with Excel in their regular office work, Grigolyunovich says.
“Many of those players are the best in their office and they want to compare themselves with the other pros,” he says. “Also, some are independent contractors and consultants who work for themselves and don’t really have others in the office to admire their skills. This is a great way to test yourself, learn new things, and become an even better financial modeller and Excel user.”
Being in the arena in Las Vegas during the grand finals is a thrilling feeling, Grigolyunovich says.
“Attributes like the arena, the cheering crowd, music, hosts, and MCs, big prize money, etc., were always my dream ever since I was a competitor myself in the ModelOff competition [the previous iteration of Excel esports] that took place from 2012 to 2019.
“I’m now seeing this dream come true as more and more people enjoy a fun, competitive version of Excel and financial modelling.”
What is the Microsoft Excel World Championship?
The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship is a global esports competition that tests people’s skills in Microsoft Office applications. The tournament has a series of qualification rounds, followed by online playoff rounds, followed by the live finals.
How does it work?
Competitors must process multiple levels of information within Excel to solve the challenge and win sudden-death battles in a specific time frame. Superstars of the Excel world begin the final championship until only one is left standing: the ultimate Excel Master.
Who is the world champion in Excel?
Australian Andrew Ngai, a director at Taylor Fry, is the three-time world champion. The 2024 trophy, however, went to Toronto's Michael Jarman.
