Forget the Rugby World Cup and the end of its group stage this weekend. Another international competition kicked off on Saturday, October 7: the Microsoft Excel World Championship (MEWC). For two months, 128 contestants will compete for the trophy, won last year by Andrew Ngai of Australia.

At first glance, nothing seems further removed than Excel from the most famous competitive video games, such as League of Legends or Counter-Strike. Yet the format of the championship is reminiscent of e-sports, with online events, games with commentary and cash prizes – $15,000 (more than €14,000) – to reward the top finishers. The final, scheduled for December 7, will even be held at the HyperX Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, where video game tournaments regularly take place.

But unlike e-sports enthusiasts, young prodigies of the joystick or keyboard who turn their hobby into a profession, MEWC participants do the opposite: As experienced professionals, they explore the playful aspects of their work tool.

"I take part in this competition to have fun and it also allows me to improve," explained Barbara Mauric, a 48-year-old management controller for Italian shipowner d'Amico. Mauric, who has been using Excel on a daily basis since 2008, said, "I learn various things about the software from the other participants and can apply them to other situations."

Creators from the world of finance

Mauric is competing in the Financial Modeling World Cup (FMWC), a competition whose origins date back to 2012 and which, in its current form, is organized by AG Capital, the creator of the Excel World Championship. The FMWC – where the spreadsheet is also king – features a number of events in which contestants must use the financial data of a fictitious company to make a projection of potential performance.

Wishing to reach a wider audience, AG Capital's CEO, Andrew Grigolyunovich of Latvia, subsequently launched the MEWC in 2021. "There are a huge number of people who know Excel but don't have a finance background. For example, there are mathematicians or engineers who are very good at it, and I wanted to see them take part in this kind of competition anyway," said Grigolyunovich, who used to compete in financial modeling tournaments himself.

The tests offered to contestants now resemble puzzles in worlds far removed from that of business: slot-machine screens whose scores must be calculated, race tracks to get through by rolling dice or tables of biathlon competition results to decipher. Bear Island, for example, consists of a series of problems to be solved using a map of an island inhabited by wild animals, drawn by coloring in the cells.

Each challenge has to be solved within 30 minutes, but the matches aren't all about completing the maximum number of tasks in the allotted time. To win, you need to find the most effective formulas and tools to earn the maximum number of points by achieving predefined objectives. The competition is like Excel: It favors efficiency and rigor.

"What's so special about these tests is that you have to ask yourself: 'Well, what approach am I going to take? What's it going to be like compared to the others? Because we don't have much time and we're stressed, there are things we don't think about," said Nicolas Micot, a 27-year-old risk manager for a company in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. Micot, who reached the second qualifying round in 2022, added, "Afterward, you can look at the others on the stream and say to yourself: 'Darn, it's true that if I'd done that, I wouldn't have gotten so worked up about it,.'"

Turning spreadsheets into a show

But how entertaining is it to watch people fill in Excel spreadsheets? "From the outset, I wanted it to be fun to watch," said Grigolyunovich. To achieve this, he drew direct inspiration from the conventions of e-sports, imagining "battle" formats in which up to eight players compete, and enlisted the help of a colorful commentator, Excel trainer and videographer Oz du Soleil.

To ensure audience loyalty, organizers also encourage participants to turn on their webcams and feature certain leading figures. Irish virtuoso Diarmuid Early, dubbed the "Michael Jordan of Excel" by the community, has increasingly been featured in YouTube videos and publications on the social media platform LinkedIn, just like the reigning world champion.

The competition has reached a wide audience at last, thanks to its broadcast on US television. Since last year, the championship has been reaired on the sports channel ESPN, which has a program dedicated to the most unexpected disciplines, such as competitive tag. "I'm glad it's interesting even for those who don't work with Excel," said Mauric, amused by the program's success. "We'll see what they come up with in the future to keep us on our toes."

And that's not to mention the obvious interest for Microsoft. "Watching matches is great advertising for new versions of the software," added Micot. "The latest version includes new formulas that are used by certain players. This is bound to inspire other software developers and owners."