The Premier League and Electronic Arts have announced the third season of ePremier League.
The EA SPORTS FIFA 21 Global Series competition gives UK-based players the chance to win the ePremier League title for their favourite club.
Start your engines
Registration for this year’s competition opens at 5pm GMT on Thursday, 3 December at e.premierleague.com, with online qualification beginning in January.
Representatives for all 20 clubs will compete to see who reaches the online playoffs, before the live finals take place next spring.
The finals will once again be broadcast live on Sky Sports, Premier League channels and EA SPORTS FIFA Twitch channel, with the entire tournament operated by Gfinity.
Over the last two seasons, the finals reached more than 22 million fans.
The word from the top
Premier League Commercial Director Will Brass said: “The EA Sports FIFA video game series is one of the key channels through which fans all over the world can engage with Premier League clubs and players.
"We are looking forward to another edition of ePremier League after the first two seasons delivered some thrilling entertainment while giving UK-based fans the chance to represent their teams in high-profile competition.
“ePremier League is a great platform for players of all abilities and a real mix of competitors have progressed to the final stages of both tournaments so far.
"This includes some of the highest-ranked professional FIFA-gamers in the world and relatively inexperienced players who have proved they can take on the very best.
“We have been able to deliver the live finals to a wide audience in the UK and around the world, thanks to EA Sports and our broadcast partners, and we hope fans enjoy watching and having the chance to participate in another exciting season of ePL action.”
A Hornet's Sting
The 2020/21 instalment of ePL was won by Watford FC’s Thomas ‘Hashtag Tom’ Leese after the inaugural ePL tournament was won by World No1 Xbox One player Donovan ‘Fnatic Tekkz’ Hunt on behalf of Liverpool FC.
Hashtag Tom said: “It meant a lot for me to be crowned the 2019/20 ePremier League champion as it is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the professional FIFA circuit and it was the first major trophy of my career.
“I can't explain the number of times I had walked away from a tournament in FIFA 19 and 20 and felt like I should have won, so to win ePL after a lot of tough losses felt extra satisfying.
“I would recommend the competition to FIFA players as ePL is a massive tournament with a lot of people watching. It also gives you the unique chance to try and represent your favourite Premier League team.
WATCH: Check out highlights of the first two ePL seasons here
"And if you're looking to break into professional FIFA then this is the perfect opportunity for UK gamers to showcase their talent.”
Dates for the Diary
Thursday 3 December – Friday 15 January: Registration open
Monday 4 – Sunday 31 January: Online qualification
Monday 15 February – Wednesday 3 March: Club Playoffs
March/April 2021 - Live Finals
The competition is open to UK residents aged 16 and over and will once again take place on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
The winner will take home the trophy and a share of the £40,000 prize pot, and there will also be seats on offer for top-ranking players at the EA SPORTS™ FIFA 21 Global Series (FGS) European Playoffs.
You can find more information about the EA SPORTS™ FIFA 21 Global Series (FGS) rules here.
Registration for ePremier League 20/21 opens on Thursday, 3 December at 5pm GMT.