Major League Soccer is the latest league to start a video game tournament in the wake of COVID-19, as the eMLS Tournament Special will launch later this month.

eMLS Tournament Special

MLS, as part of MLS Unites and EA Sports’ “Stay Home, Play Together Initiative”, will be launching a FIFA 20 eSports tournament in conjunction with Fox Sports this month. This announcement comes just a few days after EA announced that they will be conducting the ‘Stay and Play Cup’ later this month.

The tournament will feature both current MLS players, as well as eMLS players going up against one another to support COVID-19 relief efforts. The tournament will be aired on FS1 and Fox Deportes.

MLS SVP of Properties and Events Camilo Durana stated in a press release today, “The eMLS Tournament Special represents the spirit of MLS Unites by entertaining fans and giving back to our communities. We’re thrilled many of the league’s top players are joining our eMLS participants to compete and also provide benefit for those on the front lines. We are also thankful to FOX Sports and all of our partners for their collaboration on the innovative series that will be both fun to watch and make a difference.”

Tournament Format

The tournament will be a five-part series that will start on April 19, with the opening game featuring Francisco Calvo of the Chicago Fire going up against Kendall Waston of FC Cincinnati. Some of the more prominent individuals who will participate in this tournament include LA Galaxy’s Javier “Chicharito” Henrandez, New York Red Bulls’ Aaron Long and Orlando City’s Nani.

Each episode will take place remotely, with MLS and eMLS players competing at their homes and will feature four different clubs competing to win. Matches will be two legs, with MLS players playing the first leg, and eMLS players going up against one another in the second leg. The team with the best aggregate score will move on.

The four teams that advanced in the first four episodes will play in the final on May 17, where a winner will be crowned. Also, after each episode, MLS WORKS, the league’s social responsibility platform, and FOX Sports will make a donation on behalf of the winning club to Feeding America^®, with MLS also supporting Food Banks Canada.

Here is the schedule for the eMLS Tournament Special:

For more FIFA 20 news, be sure to keep checking out the SGO site.

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