EA's FIFA 20 tournament pits real footballers against each other
The "Stay and Play Cup" on Twitch will raise $1 million for coronavirus relief.
EA Sports has launched a FIFA 20 esports soccer tournament to raise cash for coronavirus charities, featuring some of the biggest teams and players in Europe. The Stay and Play Cup will be streamed on EA’s Twitch channel and match up teams like Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. The fun angle is that real footballers from those clubs like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Benjamin Mendy will match up against each other.
Virtual soccer play during the pandemic is already a thing, as Michail Antonio and Ryan Sessegnon recently matched up in a highly publicized game (Antonio lost). La Liga also held a FIFA tournament won by Real Madrid with Marco Asensio at the controller, raising around $166,000 for coronavirus charities while being watched by over 180,000 people.
EA said it hopes the tournament will be “encouraging people to connect through gaming with friends and family during the difficult time.” It will donate $1 million to Global Giving’s Coronavirus Relief fund that helps out folks in particularly hard hit communities. “We are not only committed to supporting coronavirus relief efforts, but also bringing even more ways for football fans to engage with the sport they love in the coming weeks,” said FIFA’s chief commercial officer Simon Thomas.
