November 4, 2022

The eChampions League, presented by PlayStation, returns to the EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series

This season’s eChampions League (eCL) will deliver top-tier competition on the virtual pitch as the world’s best in Europe compete for a share of the more than $280,000 USD prize pool. The eCL Finals will take place the week of the UEFA Champions League final 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey in early June. The top four competitors will also earn spots in the EA SPORTS™ FIFA 23 Global Series Playoffs and Play-Ins.

Read on for more information about the eCL format, prizing, and more as EA SPORTS FIFA continues to provide players and football fans unique opportunities to connect with football.

eChampions League Format

The eCL is open to the top PlayStation 5 players in the FUT Division Rivals game mode in FIFA 23 at the end of the first season (ending November 11, 2022). The top 256 registered EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series players in each European region as defined below will be eligible to participate.

eCL Online Qualifiers (Top 1024) – November 26 and 27, 2022.

Eligible players (256 per region), will have an opportunity to compete in one of four eCL Online Qualifiers:

• West: France, Iceland, Ireland, United Kingdom
• Iberia & Benelux: Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain
• Germany & Austria
• Nordics & East: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine

Online Qualifiers will kickoff in a Swiss format with the top 16 players per region (64 total) advancing to the eCL Group Stage.

eCL Group Stage (Top 64) – February 18 and 19, 2023 in London, England.

The 64 competitors will split into 32 each within two new regions.

• Western Europe: West, Iberia & Benelux
• Central & Eastern Europe: Germany & Austria, Nordics & East

The Group Stage in London will also be played in a Swiss format as the field once again halves with the remaining 32 moving on to the eCL Knockout Stage. Both the eCL Group Stage and Knockout Stage will take place at the Here East Theatre in Stratford, London.

eCL Knockout Stage (Top 32) – April 22 and 23, 2023 in London, England.

The star players representing the eCL Knockout Stage will enter one double elimination bracket with the final eight advancing to the monumental eCL Finals.

eCL Finals (Top 8) – Early June, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Taking place in the lead-up to the UEFA Champions League Final, eCL finalists will compete through a final knockout bracket where only one EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series competitor will earn the recognition of being the eChampions League winner. Both the winner and runner-up qualify for the EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series Playoffs, whilst the 3^rd and 4^th qualify for the EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series Play-Ins which precede the Playoffs. The top 24 players in the Playoffs qualify for the FIFAe World Cup 2023™

Prizing

In addition to winning the eChampions League trophy, players will compete for their share of over $280,000 in prize money.

How to Watch: Broadcast

The following events will be broadcast live on Twitch.TV/EASPORTSFIFA and YouTube.com/UEFATV:

• eCL Group Stage – February 18 & 19, 2023
• eCL Knockout Stage – April 22 & 23, 2023
• eCL Finals – Early June, 2023

We’ll have more eCL details to share for both competitors and fans as the season advances. Please stay tuned for more and good luck to all eCL competitors.

EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series Official Rules, see https://www.ea.com/games/fifa/compete/fgs-23/about/official-rules.