In the game: eMLS adds three new club teams for 2019 season
November 22 – Major League Soccer’s eports platform – eMLS – will go into its second season in 2019 with three new teams, taking the league number up to 22.
esports
FC Nantes completes eFootball.Pro League club line up for December launch
November 14 – France’s FC Nantes will complete the six-team line-up of clubs for the first season of the eFootball.Pro League, the esports competition that will be played using KONAMI’s Pro Evolution Soccer video game.
EA Sports and UEFA launch eChampions League with $280,000 prize pool
November 12 – UEFA and EA Sports have unveiled plans for the new eChampions League which will start in March 2019 with knockout competition and culminating with a final in Madrid on May 31, the day before the Champions League final.
FIFA 19 expands pro-player focus with in-game kits for esports pro teams
November 5 – EA Sports has been building new league partnerships in recent months with European leagues, including the Premier League and Bundesliga, for competitive leagues in its FIFA 19 platform. Now it has partnered with 13 worldwide esports professional organisations.
Boavista FC is 5th club to join e.Football.Pro’s PES league
October 25 – New eSports league e.Football.Pro has signed Portugal’s Boavista as the fifth participating team for Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer platform.
DFL launches Virtual Bundesliga with call for club entries for Jan 2019 kick off
October 23 – Germany’s DFL will kick off its first esports league, the VBL Club Championship (Virtual Bundesliga), on the EA Sports FIFA 19 platform in January next year. Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 teams have until December 21 to register teams.
PSG esports builds in China with joint LGD Gaming team to play FIFA Online
October 22 – Paris Saint-Germain has expanded its esports division partnership with Chinese esports organisation LGD Gaming to form a FIFA Online team as it builds its brand presence on the continent.
Alisports secures Happy Valley shirt for WESG qualifier as it drives esports profile
October 19 – Alisports, the sports arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, has signed a deal with Happy Valley (HVAA), a Hong Kong first division club, to promote Alisports’ esports World Electronic Sports Games (WESG) event.
Man City boost esports team with Epsilon hook-up for Gfinity Elite Series
October 12 – Premier League Manchester City have partnered with top esports team Epsilon for the Gfinity Elite Series.
Denmark’s top tier clubs to compete in new launch eSuperliga with pro players
October 11 – Denmark’s Superliga is launching its own esports championship with the top tier clubs set to begin play in the eSuperliga on November 5.
Celtic join Barca, Schalke and Monaco in Konami’s eFootball.Pro league
October 10 – Serial Scottish champions Celtic are set to test their league dominance skills internationally and join the eFootball.Pro eSports league alongside FC Barcelona, Schalke 04 and AS Monaco.
West Ham launch esports tournament with £25k prize cash for London Stadium finals
October 9 – Premier League West Ham, one of the first English clubs to sign professional esports players, will also be one of the first to host their own esports tournament with online qualifiers open now.
FIFA and EA expand 2019 eWorld Cup qualifying and add a new eNations Cup
October 9 – The football esports calendar is becoming as crowded as the match schedules for clubs and players. FIFA and EA Sports, hard on the heels of the success of the 2018 eWorld Cup, have announced the schedule for 2019 FIFA 19 Global Series.
Premier League presses button on 20-team esports tournament for January start
By Paul Nicholson
October 5 – The English Premier League are entering the esports business with the launch of ePremier League with league partner Electronic Arts. The ePL will be played on the FIFA19 game and operated by esports tournament organisers Gfinity.
Norway pioneers eSports initiative with sights sets on Euros and World Cup
September 24 – Norwegian video gamers are competing for places in the country’s national team with a view to forming a squad to play in organised eSport competition under the national team banner, as well as at any future European or World Championships.