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Major League Soccer (MLS) and EA SPORTS FC Pro today revealed details for the upcoming eMLS 2024 season, which includes a new competitive platform and players for 22 clubs that represent the global growth of the league. The eMLS 2024 season marks the debut of EA SPORTS FC™ 24 as the exclusive platform for all eMLS matches and its inaugural season as part of a new era of esports with FC Pro. The competitive calendar will feature two marquee League Series events in February and March, concluding with the eMLS Cup on March 10 in Austin.
Former Canadian National Team and Vancouver Whitecaps FC striker Tosaint “eightysvn” Ricketts, who made over 250 professional appearances in his decade-long career and was recently announced as the club’s 2024 eMLS athlete, will make his debut as the first former MLS player to compete in eMLS. As eMLS continues to grow on a global scale, this year’s edition will feature international stars like 2023 eMLS Cup champion Niklas “NR7” Raseck (Germany) with St. Louis City SC looking to defend his title, 2022 eMLS Cup champion Paulo “Paulo Neto” Neto (Brazil) with Atlanta United, João Afonso “JAFONSO” Vasconcelos (Portugal) with New England Revolution, and Olle “Ollelito” Arbin (Sweden) with New York City FC.
“eMLS is excited to welcome new faces and have some of the world’s best return for the 2024 season,” said Jesse Perl, MLS VP of Brand Marketing. “Partnering with EA SPORTS FC Pro to bring the highest level of esports competition to North America is an important part of how MLS lives in culture and reaches our young, multicultural fans outside of the traditional gameday.”
The remote qualifiers and group stages of each League Series will be featured on each MLS club’s or player’s Twitch and YouTube channel, and fans can watch each event’s bracket on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/mls) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/mls). Each league broadcast will showcase the top 12 remaining players and enhanced coverage for fans. The top two players within the eMLS Cup get direct bids to the FC Pro World Championship.
The season format will be as follows
- eMLS League Series 1: The 2024 season kicks off on February 16 with remote qualifiers followed by the group stage on February 17 and bracket final on February 18.
- eMLS League Series 2: The season continues March 1 with remote qualifiers, the group stage on March 2 and bracket final on March 3.
- eMLS Cup: The season will conclude in Austin, with the group stage on March 9 and the fan-facing live bracket final on March 10.
eMLS is excited to bring back an all-star commentary crew, including host Faizal Khamisa, play-by-play announcer and reigning Esports Awards Caster of the Year Dan Gaskin, and commentator Mike Labelle.
“It’s exciting to welcome eMLS to EA SPORTS FC Pro,” said Sam Turkbas, Senior Director & Commissioner, Football Esports, Electronic Arts. “eMLS League Series and Cup format deliver exciting action to viewers throughout their season, expanding fandom and interaction with MLS clubs through EA SPORTS FC. We are looking forward to hosting the eMLS Champion and runner-up at our inaugural FC Pro World Championship this year.”
Since the start of eMLS in 2018, the esports league continues to see annual increases in viewership and digital engagement. The 2024 season features a roster of notable partners, including TikTok, DoorDash, EA SPORTS and Avant.
