The latest sports league to take its games virtual is the English Premier League, the highest level of English football. The new ePremier League Invitational tournament will pit the Premier League’s 20 teams against each other in FIFA 20, with each team represented by a player or a celebrity.
The players representing their teams in the esports tournament include Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Todd Cantwell (Norwich City), Ryan Fredericks (West Ham United), Diogo Jota (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), and Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace). Manchester United will be represented by musician Tom Grennan, a fan of the club who once trained to be a professional footballer. You can check the full draw here.
While the matches will be broadcast on all the usual online streaming platforms, the tournament’s final rounds will also help fill out Sky Sports’ broadcast schedule, in a time where most live sports have been cancelled.
You can watch the games online on the Premier League website or app, as well as its YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. If you want to watch on Twitch, it will be hosted on the Sky Sports Twitch channel.
Like other esports tournaments involving high-profile athletes, such as the NBA Players Tournament or the NHL 20 competition between two of the NHL’s greatest players, the ePL Invitational will raise money for a COVID-19 related cause–in this case, the UK’s National Health Service.
The tournament kicks off on April 21, with four matches running per day until April 24. The semi-finals and grand final will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League in the UK on Saturday, April 25.
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