English Premier League Latest To Replace Events With Esports Matches

As with other leagues and organizations around the world, England's Premier League is the latest to turn to esports as a replacement for canceled real-life tournaments. Under this event, the League says that athletes will compete with each other in the EA Sports FIFA 20 game in a series of matches from April 21 to April 24.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced a number of leagues to cancel their planned events and matches — in some cases, the seasons have been postponed; in others, the seasons were entirely canceled. In the place of these canceled events, a number of leagues and organizations, including NFL and NASCAR, have turned to esports games as alternatives.

On April 20, the English Premier League revealed that it, too, will tap video games to replace actual matches. A number of players have been matched with opponents who they'll compete against in the soccer game FIFA 20; the prize fund from this event will be donated to the NHS, according to the league.

The opening round will take place on April 21 at 12:00 BST; there will be four matches per day in the opening rounds, according to the league, with games taking place through April 24. After those opening rounds are complete, some players will move on to the semi-final matches and final matches on April 25.

These matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event, plus fans will also be able to stream the matches on the Sky Sports Twitch and YouTube, through the Football Daily YouTube channel, and through the Premier League's app, website, and various social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Fans in the US will be able to catch the games on NBCSN.