April 24 – With esports booming across the board and football’s clubs and league keen to get in on the action, the Football Management game has reported an all-time high of 189.230 users for March, a 43% rise on the previous month.
By David Owen
April 17 – New research gives an indication of the size of the hit the sports gambling sector can expect as a consequence of the COVID-19-inspired shutdown, while also confirming that some gamblers are looking on esports with renewed interest.
April 8 – With esports providing pretty much the only opportunity for competitive action as the coronavirus lockdown grips the world, clubs and increasingly broadcasters are picking up the opportunity to engage fans.
April 3 – The suspension of live football has opened up multiple opportunities for the football eSports business with Serie A being the latest to embrace the genre and UEFA’s eEuro 2020 taking centre stage.
March 25 – LaLiga giants Real Madrid have expanded their digital broadcast footprint with a digital channel on Twitch.
March 24 – LaLiga said that more than a million total viewers tuned in to its charity FIFA 20 Challenge esports tournament over the weekend, with more than 170,000 viewers watching as Real Madrid striker Marco Asensio beat Leganés player Aitor Ruibal to claim the title.
March 20 – Spanish players will be in action this weekend but it will be in the virtual world of esports rather than the physical world of LaLiga.
February 13 – Germany’s Bundesliga is using eFootball to drive the league deeper into international markets with the launch of the Virtual Bundesliga International Series.
February 12 – InterMilan have become the latest club to set up its own esports team, signing two players in a collaboration with QLASH.
February 5 – The world of eSports has attracted another high profile team entrant from the world of football, but this time it is a player rather than a club. Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale has launched a new eSports team called Ellevens Esports.
February 3 – FIFA’s eNations Cup 2020 will be hosted in Copenhagen by the Danish Football Association (DBU) May 22-24. It will be the first time the finals have been played in front of a live audience.
January 15 – Milan will be the host city for the FIFA eClub World Cup 2020 finals that will be played February 7-9, the first time the finals have been held in Italy.
January 13 – While the MLS season doesn’t kick off until the end of February, its eSports equivalent has already kicked off with the first stage of 2020 eMLS competition played this weekend in Philadelphia.
By Paul Nicholson
January 8 – Olympique Lyonnais (OL) are the latest European Big 5 league club to formalise and expand its professional e-sports operation to compete under the club’s name on a variety of game platforms as well as the FIFA platform.
December 29 – Roma, Basel, Man City, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Olympique Lyonais lead the club branded qualifiers for the FIFA eClub World Cup 2020 finals to be be played February 7-9.