Major League Soccer and EA SPORTS FC™ Pro Reveal eMLS 2024 Season Exclusively on EA SPORTS FC 24
February 6, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
NEW YORK (Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024) - 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 and YouTube . 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 Feb. 16 with remote qualifiers followed by the group stage on Feb. 17 and bracket final on Feb. 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.
All participating clubs have signed top talent including those listed below.
Atlanta United: Paulo "Paulo Neto" Neto Nashville SC: Samuel "SaucySammy" Abraham
Austin FC: Diogo "Diogo" Mendes New England Revolution: João Afonso "JAFONSO" Vasconcelos
CF Montréal: Alix "Loux" Largerie New York City FC: Ollie "Ollelito" Arbin
Charlotte FC: Gustavo "Gustavo" Nascimento New York Red Bulls: Cormac "doolsta" Dooley
Columbus Crew: Christian "Chris Lopez" Lopez Orlando City SC: Youssef "yaboyoussef" Aboyoussef
D.C. United: Mohamed "KingCJ0" Diop Philadelphia Union: Thiago Martin "ThiagoCapo12" Vazquez
FC Dallas: Alan "AlanAvi" Avila San Jose Earthquakes: Ben "BENR" Remez
Houston Dynamo FC: Jordy "JordyReyes" Reyes Seattle Sounders FC: George "GADAMOU10" Adamou
Inter Miami CF: John "K1john" Kamel St. Louis City SC: Niklas "NR7" Raseck
Los Angeles Football Club: Pablo "Pabs" Georgakopoulos Toronto FC: Christopher "Didychrislito" Holly
Minnesota United: Ehsan "Lamps" Zakeri Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Tosaint "eightysvn" Ricketts
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Major League Soccer Stories from February 6, 2024
- Whitecaps FC Sign WFC2 Midfielders Jeevan Badwal and Jay Herdman to MLS Short-Term Agreements - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- New York City FC Signs Goalkeeper Tomás Romero - New York City FC
- Charlotte FC Forward Vinicius Mello Joins FK Cukaricki - Charlotte FC
- Atlanta United Re-Signs Esports Athlete Paulo Neto to Multi-Year Extension; 2024 eMLS Schedule Announced - Atlanta United FC
- Sporting KC to Host Season Kickoff Party - Sporting Kansas City
- Gustavo Nascimento to Represent Charlotte FC in eMLS 2024 Season - Charlotte FC
- San Diego FC Chrome Ball Tour Stops in Escondido - San Diego FC
- New York City FC and Capital RX Announce Sleeve Partnership - New York City FC
- Joey Akpunonu Joins Hartford Athletic on Loan - FC Cincinnati
- Venezuela and Italy Coming to DRV PNK Stadium on March 21 for International Friendly - Inter Miami CF
- Earthquakes Announce eMLS 2024 Season Information - San Jose Earthquakes
- Chicago Fire FC Acquires Belgian Forward Hugo Cuypers as Designated Player for Club-Record Fee - Chicago Fire FC
- Austin FC Announces Soccer Operations, Technical Staff Updates Ahead of 2024 Season - Austin FC
- Minnesota United's 'Lamps' Set to Compete in eMLS 2024 Season Exclusively on EA Sports FC 24 - Minnesota United FC
- Shell Energy Stadium to Host International Friendly Between Guatemala and Venezuela - Houston Dynamo FC
- MLS Announces MLS NEXT Development Grant Program, Continuing Commitment to Pro Player Pathway - MLS
- CF Montréal Acquires Striker Josef Martínez - Club de Foot Montreal
- Orlando City SC Inks Defender Robin Jansson to New Deal Through 2025 - Orlando City SC
- Major League Soccer and EA SPORTS FC™ Pro Reveal EMLS 2024 Season Exclusively on EA SPORTS FC 24 - Inter Miami CF
- D.C. United Re-Sign Professional eMLS and ESports Player Mohamed "KingCJ0" Alioune Diop - D.C. United
- Major League Soccer and EA SPORTS FC™ Pro Reveal eMLS 2024 Season Exclusively on EA SPORTS FC 24 - MLS
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