EA Sports
After an incredible rise of professional eSports leagues forming all around the globe over the past year; EA Sports and Major League Soccer announced today that they would be creating the eMLS, a professional eSports League dedicated to FIFA 18.
The eMLS, designed like last year’s NBA 2K League, will bring together Pro Gamers from around the globe to fight for glory in the first FIFA eWorld Cup! Not to be confused with the real FIFA World Cup, which does take place this year in Russia, the eWorld Cup will bring together nineteen teams modeled after real-world clubs represented by one player.
Each real-world club is tasked with picking the player to represent their “eTeam” in the Cup; the clubs participating in the league are:
- Chicago Fire
- Colorado Rapids
- Columbus Crew SC
- FC Dallas
- Houston Dynamo
- LA Galaxy
- Minnesota United FC
- Montreal Impact
- New England Revolution
- New York City FC
- New York Red Bulls
- Orlando City SC
- Philadelphia Union
- Portland Timbers
- San Jose Earthquakes
- Seattle Sounders FC
- Sporting Kansas City
- Toronto FC
- Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The only MLS club to have an eSports player on their roster is the New York City FC, and we can expect to see the club using Chris Holly in the eMLS League this season! With the meteoric rise in eSports leagues and competitions forming, it is smart for the MLS and EA Sports to get in on the action with the eMLS League. According to VGChartz.com, FIFA 18 has sold over 7 million copies worldwide so with a significant player base like this it is clear that the eMLS will have an audience!
In the press release announcing the league, President and Managing Director for the MLS, Gary Stevensen said, “This step forward into competitive gaming is a key component in our partnership with EA SPORTS to promote deeper engagement and connections between MLS supporters and the millions of FIFA players around the world.” Also in the press release Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Competitive Gaming Division, Todd Sitrin says, “We engage millions of soccer fans daily through FIFA and attract much more who view our competitions around the world. With the eMLS we accelerate our growth as players compete on the road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018.”
While we still don’t know the official start date for the league, it is also interesting to note that it has not been confirmed if players will receive paying salaries and benefits like other eSports leagues such as the NBA 2K League and the Overwatch League. We’ll be sure to update once we know more.