E-League returns in 2023 presented by Nivea Men
The E-League is returning in 2023, with new changes and an AU$10,000 prize pool.
The announcement:
The A-Leagues, PlayStation® and eGEN esports have come together to launch the new E-League 2023 season with a raft of new and exciting changes.
APL chief commercial officer, Ant Hearne commented: “We’re excited to bring the E-League FIFA Global Series Qualifier, presented by Nivea Men, back this season with updates that are set to make it the best season yet.
“Esports is a really important part of our strategy to bring football into more homes across Australia and New Zealand. To-date, the fan reaction has been great and we can’t wait for a massive 2023.”
After kicking off in early February, the path to E-League open qualifier features a new format, adding a double elimination playoffs bracket for the top qualifying players and will be played on the PlayStation® 5, running through the PlayStation® Tournament function.
The path to E-League opening rounds featured 2 winners qualifying for the playoffs each night. The playoffs will consist of the top 8 players from opening rounds playing in a double elimination best-of-two bracket over two nights for a true pro esports experience.
“This competition will again be used for clubs to scout new and upcoming pro EA SPORTS™ FIFA players for selection into the E-League and is an incredible opportunity for our players to put themselves on the esports map,” Brad Timmins, managing director of eGEN said.
“The APL continues to be the ultimate Australian sporting rights holder when it comes to esports. We continue to invest in the E-League not only as a standalone esports competition, but as an opportunity to bring football to Australian fans (digitally and physically). We can’t wait to kick off our much more expansive version of the E-League in 2023,” concluded Ant Hearne, APL chief commercial officer.
The E-League group stage will launch on 7th March and will again feature the 12 Isuzu UTE A-League clubs entering two pro EA SPORTS TM FIFA competitors each. The 24 total competitors will be seeded into 2 groups of 12. Each group will play a single round-robin format consisting of best-of-two matches over six weeks online. The top six scoring players in each group at the end of the regular season will qualify for the E-League playoffs, with the top two players in each group receiving a bye through to the second round of playoffs.
The E-League playoffs will take the form of a double elimination bracket made up of best-of-two matches played over four days in early May. The final four players will then play in-person at the E-League grand final.
The top three scoring players in the E-League finals will receive a direct invitation to the EA SPORTS™ FIFA Global Series Oceania Play-In, where they will compete for a chance to qualify for the EA SPORTS™ FIFA23 Global Series Playoffs.
All match days throughout the season will be broadcasted live on the E-League official Twitch channel and the KEEPUP YouTube channel.
To find out more about E-Leagues, visit: https://www.twitch.tv/eleagueaustralia
To find out more about A-Leagues, visit: https://keepup.com.au/
Key Tournament dates:
Path to E-League 2023 (Open Qualifier)
● 7-8 February 2023, Opening Rounds Week 1
● 14-15 February 2023, Opening Rounds Week 2
● 21-22 February 2023, Playoffs WeekE-League Group Stage (Regular Season)
● 7-8 March 2023, Group Stage Week 1
● 14-15 March 2023, Group Stage Week 2
● 21-22 March 2023, Group Stage Week 3
● 28-29 March 2023, Group Stage Week 4
● 18-19 April 2023, Group Stage Week 5
● 25-26 April 2023, Group Stage Week 6E-League 2023 Playoffs
● 6-7 May 2023, Playoffs Day 1 & 2
● 9 May 2023, Playoffs Day 3E-League 2023 Grand Final
● 13 May 2023, Grand Final
Source: Res Publica
