The 2019/20 ePremier League season reaches a conclusion this Friday (28 August) when eight leading EA SPORTS FIFA 20 players go head to head, with fans around the world able to watch all the action from the ePL Finals Day live.
After the Live Finals scheduled to take place at the Gfinity Arena in London in March were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the closing stages of the tournament are now being completed online.
A live show will be streamed from 6pm across Premier League digital channels. Fans will also be able to tune in via the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel, Sky Sports Twitch channel, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, as well as on the official EA SPORTS FIFA Twitch channel. The clubs of the participating players will also be streaming matches live.
The preliminary stages of the final have already been played and reigning champion Donovan ‘Fnatic Tekkz’ Hunt will be defending his ePL title on behalf of Liverpool. Ranked No1 in the world on Xbox One, the 19-year-old faces West Ham United’s Jamie ‘Jamboo’ Rigden at the semi-final stage.
“I’m incredibly excited to be heading to the finals of the ePremier League to represent Liverpool FC and ultimately defend my title as champion,” said Tekkz. “It’s been a phenomenal year of success for LFC, considering we won the Premier League this season, so I hope that I can go on to add to the list of trophies by taking home the ePL trophy.”
Completing the Xbox side of the draw are Watford’s Alex ‘Hashtag Shawrey’ Shaw and Marc ‘MarcMarleyyy’ Marley, representing Bournemouth.
In the PlayStation 4 semi-finals, there is a London derby between Chelsea’s Kyle ‘Hammond’ Hammond and Arsenal’s Tassal ‘Faze Tass’ Rushan. The world No3 on that platform, Tom ‘Hashtag Tom’ Leese, is competing for Watford and will take on Tottenham Hotspur’s Callum ‘Callum’ Moore.
The winners of those ties will progress to the individual console finals to decide the Xbox One and PS4 winners. The victors will then go head to head in the grand final to decide who is crowned 2019/20 ePremier League champion. The winner will also take home £20,000 in prize money, with the runner-up winning £10,000. The runners-up of the two console finals will each win £5,000.
Premier League Commercial Director Will Brass said: “We are delighted to be able to bring the 2019/20 ePremier League season to a conclusion and give competitors the chance to complete the tournament online.
“As with the inaugural ePL season, we had a great response from fans and clubs, with the tournament bringing together experienced EA SPORTS FIFA pros and new competitors, giving all those taking part the opportunity to represent their favourite clubs in official competition.
“There is a strong line-up of finalists who will undoubtedly provide thrilling action for viewers around the world to enjoy. I wish those competing the very best of luck and I look forward to seeing whether Tekkz and Liverpool can hold onto their ePremier League title, or if there will be a new champion.”
Dealing with a Pandemic
While football was suspended during the pandemic, the ePL Invitational tournament brought together a mixture of first-team players and other famous faces to compete on behalf of all 20 Premier League clubs in an online FIFA 20 tournament.
This proved extremely popular with fans here in the UK and around the world and was shown by Sky and BBC domestically, as well as by the majority of our international broadcast partners. The competition was shown in two instalments across five continents as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Diogo Jota and Leicester City’s James Maddison were crowned champions.
The 2019/20 ePL Finals Day show is being presented by Rachel Stringer with Ryan Pessoa as analyst and Mark Hatcher and Dan Gaskin as casters. The show will be produced and broadcast from the Gfinity Arena, with all game play taking place remotely.
ePremier League is operated by esports tournament organisers Gfinity. For more information visit e.premierleague.com.
