EA SPORTS and UEFA have announced the eChampions League, a version of the popular UEFA Champions League football tournament that will be played on FIFA 19.
The tournament will be part of the official Road to the 2019 FIFA eWorld Cup and it’ll be played exclusively on PlayStation 4. The prize pool amounts to $280,000 (£214,849.60), with the winner receiving $100,000 (£76,732) and 850 points for the FIFA 19 Global Series.
Budding competitors will be able to qualify for the tournament by competing in eChampions League Global Online Knockout qualifiers on March 2nd-3rd. The top 64 players will advance to a live qualifying event on April 26-27th.
From there, eight players will advance to the eChampions League Final. The final leg of the competition will be hosted in Madrid, Spain on May 31st, just a day before the UEFA Champions League Final will be hosted.
Brent Koning, FIFA Competitive Gaming Commissioner at EA SPORTS discussed the competition in a statement: “Building an authentic UEFA Champions League competition was the next logical step in the continued EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series expansion for both players and spectators. Our passionate competitors love the UEFA Champions League and the eChampions League creates a unique opportunity for the competitive FIFA superstars to represent their clubs in the pinnacle of club football.”
The eight competitors that make it to the eChampions League Final will draft and use footballers that are competing in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
There are a number of football leagues that have created an esports version of its competition. Just in October, the ePremier League was announced for the top flight of English football and it was revealed that Danish football clubs would compete in the eSuperliga.
Esports Insider says: Traditional football clubs and tournaments entering esports via FIFA is becoming more and more common, so top competitions such as the UEFA Champions League getting involved isn’t too surprising – especially when you consider that there’s a FIFA eWorld Cup. It’s a nice touch having the esports final just a day before the final of the actual competition.
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