Goal, the football news website operated by digital sports media company Perform, has acquired live-streaming rights to the inaugural edition of the eFootball League.
The esports competition launched yesterday (Thursday), and Goal will provide coverage of the tournament through its official pages on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter.
Goal will also stream the event via its accounts on video-sharing website YouTube and social video platform Twitch.
The tournament will feature a prize fund of $10,000 (€8,200), with teams from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Northern Ireland. Gamers will compete against one another in Fifa 18’s Ultimate Team game mode.
“Over the past couple of years we’ve noticed the increasing interest in esports from our fans,” Sam Brown, head of English language at Goal, said, according to the Sportego website.
“For some, Fifa 18 is the main way they interact with football and we’re continuingly looking into how we can provide them the best Fifa content, whether that’s news or the streaming of games. This is why we’ve decided to work with the eFootball League, as it will allow us to showcase some of the best Fifa players and teams in the world, introducing them to new audiences and providing a new home for existing esport fans.”
The 22-team tournament concludes in May, with the grand final to be held live at a football stadium.