Electronic Arts and the NFL announced on Monday the launch of the Madden NFL Club Championship, an esports event within the Madden NFL Championship Series that involves all 32 NFL teams, marking the largest competitive gaming commitment by a U.S. professional sports league.
The competition starts Tuesday with the launch of EA SPORTS Madden NFL 18 G.O.A.T Edition for Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, with players competing to win the Madden NFL Club Championship for their favorite NFL team. Players can qualify through online competition, and high-performers advance to on-site tournaments, including select NFL stadiums. Once the final 32 players are identified — one per NFL team — they will compete in the Madden NFL Club Championship Live Finals, a tournament occurring first at the Pro Bowl Experience in Orlando and culminating at the Super Bowl Experience in Minneapolis.
“Competitive gaming and esports are one of the most exciting ways to engage a larger, younger and digitally savvy NFL audience,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Collaborating with EA to create the Madden NFL Club Championship presents a unique opportunity to capture the excitement of NFL action and the passion of our fans with competition that anyone can participate in.”
The Madden NFL Club Championship is considered to be a Madden NFL Championship Series EA Majors event. The Madden NFL Championship Series purse is $1.15 million and this past season saw events held from December through May.
“Our first season of Madden NFL competitions was a great success, engaging millions of players and igniting the passion of NFL fans worldwide,” EA’s Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson said in a statement. “Now we’re taking competitive gaming and our NFL partnership to an unprecedented level, with Madden NFL players competing to represent all 32 NFL teams. The Madden NFL Club Championship is the opportunity sports fans have been waiting for, to live their dreams and compete for their favorite team on a global stage.”
The NFL becomes the first U.S. professional sports league to commit every one of its teams to esports. Earlier this year, the Madden 17 Club Series also featured participating NFL teams conducting their own Madden competitions to crown the best Madden player among their fans. Events were streamed on team websites and apps and on the Madden NFL Twitch channel.
Millions play EA games, including another sports title in EA SPORTS FIFA.