FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 finalists qualified for July showdown in Copenhagen
June 23 – From a starting entry of 84 nations, 24 have now qualified for the finals of the FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 to be held July 24 to July 30 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
esports
Copenhagen to host FIFAe World Cup, Club World Cup and Nations Cup in July
May 19 – Copenhagen in Denmark will host the first-ever combined FIFAe Finals in July with the three championship – FIFAe World Cup, FIFAe Club World Cup and FIFAe Nations Cup – being played July 14-30.
FIFA games with EA Sports for final ’23 edition but promises launch of multiple new titles
May 11 – The separation of EA Sports and its FIFA gaming franchise from the world governing body will take another edition before completion. EA Sports will release a FIFA 23 title this year before renaming the world’s biggest football video game EA Sports FC.
ePremier League revamps format with BLAST input
February 9 – Esports tournament organiser BLAST will produce the 2021/22 edition of the ePremier League, the first time the esports heavyweight has entered the football gaming scene.
eMLS builds to 27 teams and presses the button on return to live events for 2022 season
December 15 – The MLS esports league, eMLS, has released detail of its 2022 season which will feature all 27 MLS teams and a return to live events with three marquee tournaments hosted in-person at MLS stadiums.
AS Monaco strikes deal for UFL launch as club’s gaming supplier
December 3 – AS Monaco has agreed a two-year partnership with software game developer Strikerz Inc, to make its soon-to-launch online football game UFL, the club’s Official Football Gaming Supplier.
Eredivisie partners with DreamHack for new launch esports gaming festival
December 2 – Holland’s Eredivisie is partnering with esports operator DreamHack Sports Games (DHSG) to create an esports gaming festival that will be hosted Sports in Maastricht.
Konami secures USL deal for rebranded eFootball video game franchise
November 24 – The United Soccer League (USL), operator of second and third tier professional leagues in the US, has struck a multi-year deal with Konami Digital Entertainment that will see its teams and players featured in its revamped eFootball video game franchise.
Inter to launch dedicated esports gaming platform at Milan Games Week
November 3 – Inter Milan will launch their own esports platform this Friday (November 5) with the start of the Inter Esports Cup. The inauguration of the esports competition and platform comes during Italy’s biggest esports event, the Milan Games Week & Cartoomics.
EA-sanctioned FIFA 22 Challenge sees players and esports pros in Team Adidas vs Team EA clash
October 21 – The blurring of ‘sporting’ boundaries and rights ownership that eSports throw up is brought sharply into focus again today with the EA Sports-sanctioned FIFA 22 Challenge.
FIFA vow to take EA Sports head-on in football e-gaming as licensing deal looks dead
By Paul Nicholson
October 18 – With EA Sports review of its FIFA license increasingly looking like bringing an end to its FIFA branded game at the end of the current rights cycle, FIFA has issued a statement saying that it will be widening its own gaming and eSports portfolio.
FIFA and EA expand competitive esports programme ahead of FIFA 22 launch
September 30 – One international match calendar FIFA is having no trouble expanding is its esports programme. Electronic Arts have announced a further growth of its competition ecosystem for the launch of the FIFA 22 game next month.
Wolves and Fosun target e-sports growth with stake in Evil Geniuses
July 30 – E-sports team Evil Geniuses have sold a minority stake to Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers and their Chinese ownersFosun. No value or percentage was given for the stake in Evil Geniuses.
Schalke sells its esports team for €26.5m
July 1 – German football club Schalke 04 has completed the sale of its esports team, League of Legends European Championship licence, to Swiss organisation Team BDS for €26.5 million.
eFootball needs more ‘football’ governance, Konami PES leads EA’s FIFA – finds report
April 27 – A survey of eFootball activity within 35 European federations has found that 92% of FAs plan to field their own eNational teams in 2021 with 83% planning their own tournaments and leagues.