December 17, 2021 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – FC Cincinnati News Release
Earlier this week Major League Soccer (MLS) and Electronic Arts (EA) announced the competitive schedule and details for the 2022 season of eMLS, the official esports league of Major League Soccer, kicking off in January 2022. FC Cincinnati will host eMLS League Series 1 presented by Coca-Cola® January 15-16, the first of three in-person events as part of the upcoming eMLS season.
It will mark the first time an eMLS competition is held in Cincinnati. FC Cincinnati will be led on the virtual pitch by Macissé ‘Cissé’ Diop, who signed as the club’s eMLS representative in November.
“We are thrilled to host this competition and showcase Cincinnati to a global gaming audience,” said Meg Ryan, FC Cincinnati Chief Marketing Officer. “This event provides a unique opportunity for esports fans from around the area to cheer on some of the best players in the world in a fun, exciting environment.”
The eMLS season will feature 27 professional EA SPORTS™ FIFA players, each representing an MLS Club, as they compete for their share of the record-setting $75,000 prize pool. This year’s season will see a return to in-person events with competitions hosted at MLS Club stadiums and local concert venues. Chicago and Austin will host competitions in the weeks to follow from Cincinnati’s hosting of eMLS League Series 1 presented by Coca-Cola®.
On Saturday, January 15, all 27 eMLS players will play in streamed qualifiers at TQL Stadium. The top eight players in points from qualifiers will advance to the League Series 1 live event held the next day on Sunday, January 16 at PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation in Newport, Kentucky.
Fans will be able to attend in-person Sunday at PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation to see who is crowned League Series 1 champion in addition to partaking in various fan activities, including FIFA 22 gaming stations, giveaways, and more. Fans can RSVP for free HERE.
To celebrate eMLS League Series 1 coming to Cincinnati, FC Cincinnati will be giving away a PlayStation®5 (PS5). Fans can enter the contest, which runs through January 16, HERE.
Competition will take place on EA SPORTS™ FIFA 22 and will be played exclusively on PlayStation®5 (PS5), marking eMLS’s debut season played on the next-generation console. Fans can tune in to all eMLS competitions beginning on January 15 on the official MLS Twitch, MLS Twitter, and MLSsoccer.com.
The second eMLS tournament of 2022 will be League Series 2 presented by Coca-Cola® in Chicago, hosted by the Chicago Fire FC. The competition will follow the same format as League Series 1. The final stop of the season will be eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola® in Austin on March 13, where the top 12 eMLS players will compete to be crowned the 2022 season champion. The first 11 competitors in the field will be determined by total season qualifier points from League Series events, while the 12th and final seed from a Last Chance Qualifier tournament on March 12.
About eMLS:
eMLS is the esports and gaming property of Major League Soccer. Built around the EA SPORTS™ FIFA franchise, its goal is to utilize gaming to reach global audiences, raise the profile of MLS, and grow its next generation of fans. eMLS has grown from 19 MLS Clubs in 2018 to 27 Clubs participating in the upcoming 2022 season. For more information, visit www.mlssoccer.com/eMLS.
“PlayStation” and “PS5” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
About FC Cincinnati:
FC Cincinnati begin their fourth season of MLS competition in 2022, and their second playing at TQL Stadium. For up-to-the-minute information about FC Cincinnati, visit the team’s official website at fccincinnati.com, or follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @FCCincinnati. Additionally, fans are encouraged to download the team’s official mobile app on the Apple App Store or Google Play for instant access to mobile tickets, team content and match notifications.
Tickets to the home opener against D.C. United on March 5 are currently only available through Season Ticket Memberships, which are available now. Fans can get the best tickets at the best price to the best matches all season long, including the home opener, by purchasing season tickets at fccincinnati.com/tickets or by calling 513-977-KICK, that’s 513-977-5425.
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