This weekend, the Premier League and EA are launching an exciting new event in the ePremier League calendar - the ePL Finals: Group Stages.
This addition to the ePL competition gives four clubs the opportunity to progress straight to the quarter-final stage and compete for the title on Sunday 24 March.
It all begins on Saturday with the official launch of the ePL Finals: Group Stages, the first of two weekends that will crown the 2024 ePL Finals champion.
The Group Stages, being played from 20-21 January, will see 40 finalists competing - two per ePremier League club - with some of the world's best EA Sports FC players among them.
They'll be joined by several up-and-coming players who successfully navigated the Playoff stage.
All 20 clubs will be split into four groups, with each group winner advancing to the Finals on Sunday 24 March. The remaining 16 clubs will have another chance to qualify through knockout fixtures on Saturday 23 March.
Leading players taking part include former ePL Champions Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt, representing Manchester City for the first time, and 2019/20 winner Tom Leese, playing on behalf of Tottenham Hotspur. Former ePL winners Jack ‘GoalPoacher’ Wignall (Nottingham Forest) and Shaun ‘Shellzz’ Springette (Crystal Palace) are also competing along with 2022/23 Spanish champion Matias Bonanno (Manchester City), making his debut in the ePL.
Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt said: "I'm buzzing to get into the main action of the ePremier League this weekend and I’m really looking forward to representing Manchester City alongside Bonanno. This tournament has become one of the biggest events in the FC Pro calendar, so getting a shot to go straight to Championship Sunday is huge for us.
“There are some great players taking part, so I know it's not going to be easy, but we're ready to take our chance. We’ll be giving it everything we’ve got.”
Premier League Chief Commercial Officer Will Brass added: “The ePremier League has continued to grow year-on-year since the tournament began six years ago and we are excited to add a new format to this season’s Finals.
“The Group Stages bring our 40 finalists together in a competitive format earlier than in previous years and I am sure there will be plenty of drama as they look to secure a place at the quarter-final stage.
"This also gives supporters worldwide even more opportunities to watch world-class EA SPORTS FC 24 action. Good luck to all of the players!”
The format of this year’s Finals will see clubs working collaboratively, with one player competing per console in 1 vs 1 matches against pairings from other clubs.
The prize pool is set at £100,000 with seats available for the winning club in the FC Pro World Championships.
Sam Turkbas, FC Pro Commissioner at EA SPORTS, added: "We are delighted to introduce the Group Stages to the ePremier League calendar this year.
"It has been a transformational year for our esports scene with the launch of FC Pro, so naturally we’re always looking at ways we can enhance one of our biggest competitions and make it entertaining for Premier League, football and FC Pro fans.
“The Group Stage weekend makes the competition ups the stakes and excitement, with a fast-track ticket to Championship Sunday of the Grand Finals! We can’t wait to watch the action unfold!”
Fans across the world will be able to tune in across Premier League digital channels (YouTube, web, app, X and Facebook). It will also be streamed across the EA SPORTS FC Twitch Channel.
ePremier League 2023/24 format
After registering to represent their favourite club, players competed in a series of online qualification tournaments, with only the best advancing to the Club Playoffs.
Subsequently, each of the 20 Premier League clubs narrowed down the competitors to just two, to represent them across the two Finals weekends.
For more information please visit https://e.premierleague.com/.
ePL 2023/24 Finals key dates
Group Stages: 20 and 21 January 2024
Knockout Stages: 23 and 24 March 2024
