EA Sports recently announced the launch of an eSports ecosystem called EA Sports FC (EAFC), an evolution of the famous football video game series. The new EA Sports FC Pro ecosystem will provide a global destination for EAFC players, offering head-to-head competition throughout 2023 and 2024.
The EA Sports FC series takes the place of the famous FIFA, which was renamed following the long-running partnership between EA Sports and FIFA last year. EA Sports FC Pro will be divided into two seasonal competitions: FC Pro Open and FC Pro Leagues. The FC Pro Open is a springboard to professionalism, with players from ten different regions competing for a share of a total prize pool of $1 million (approximately €948,000). This competition will run from October 2023 to February 2024.
From February 2024, the FC Professional League will be launched in collaboration with top league partners such as the Premier League, Bundesliga and Major League Soccer (MLS). This five-month tournament will give participants the opportunity to win cash prizes and qualify for the season-ending FC Pro World Championship. The FC Pro World Championship will take place in June 2024 and will feature 32 players – four from the FC Pro Open. and 28 from the FC Pro League – will compete for a share of the $1 million prize pool and the title of the first FC Pro World Champion.
Along with the arrival of FC Pro, EA Sports has also confirmed the return of the competitive eChampions League in 2024, although details of that event have yet to be announced.
FC Pro competition calendar
The FC Pro calendar is divided into separate competition periods, making it easier to keep track of fans.
From game launch toearly February, we will focus on global competition with the FC Pro Open. Through a series of competitions starting with Open staircase FC Prothe best competitors will switch to FC Pro Open: A weekly competition that will last for eight weeks. Those who do not qualify for the FC Pro Open will have the opportunity to continue competing in regional online competitions for prizes and rights.
From February to April we will see national competitions run through the league’s network of partners that will crown national champions who will qualify for the FC Pro World Championship. The top four players from the FC Pro Open will join the top players from partner leagues around the world in the 32-player FC Pro World Championship in June.
FC Pro Open
Starting with in-game competitions, qualified and eligible players will have access to competitive play and, new this year, the opportunity to compete in the FC Pro Open Ladder hosted by tournament partners.
This competition will allow participants to challenge other elite players in their competitive region over a specified period of time.
During the FC Pro Open, players can represent themselves, football clubs or esports teams. The FC Pro Open Ladder is played exclusively in 1v1 mode and will include a real-time leaderboard available outside of the game.
The top players from each regional level will compete in the FC Pro Open regional qualifiers for a chance to earn an invitation and an all-expenses-paid trip to the FC Pro Open Global Qualifiers, a 64-person tournament scheduled for November.
The top 16 players from the FC Pro Open global qualifiers will join the top four players in the world from the previous season in the FC Pro Open.
Players who do not qualify for the FC Pro Open will still be able to compete in online regional competitions for the remainder of the FC Pro Open period.
Professional FC leagues
From February to April, league partner competitions will be held around the world to crown national champions and give players the unique opportunity to represent their favorite clubs on a virtual pitch. Details of each of these competitions will be provided directly by the Football League Partners at the start of the season. Players who took part in the FC Pro Open can also participate in official competitions of football leagues for which they are eligible.
World Professional FC Championship
The World Singles Championship will close the season. The top four players from the FC Pro Open will join the top players from partner league competitions around the world in this 32-player tournament.
This is the first event where EA will host a World Championship. More details will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Source: Tutto Mercato Web
