NEW YORK (February 21, 2018) – Major League Soccer (MLS) has released further details for the inaugural eMLS Cup, the new competitive EA SPORTS™ FIFA 18 league kicking off at PAX East, the enormously popular gaming culture festival in Boston that takes place this year from April 5-8 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. MLS’s premier gaming event will feature elite FIFA players representing 19 MLS clubs vying for the eMLS Cup trophy, spots in the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018, and a series of other prizes.
Players will be divided into two conferences, with ten clubs in the Eastern Conference and nine in the Western Conference. Competitors will select their squad of 11 starting players, seven bench players and five reserve players. Each team must have three MLS players on the field at all times, including two players from the Club that they represent.
The eMLS Cup will begin with preliminary rounds on Thursday, April 5 and Friday, April 6, taking place at eMLS HQ at PAX East. Each competitor will play the other competitors in their conference once, with the top eight players from each conference advancing to seeded knockout rounds on Saturday, April 7. The Conference Championships and eMLS Cup Final will take place on Sunday, April 8. Saturday and Sunday’s matches will be held on the PAX Arena Main Stage and live-streamed on PAX’s “PAXArena” Twitch channel (twitch.tv/paxarena ). The eMLS Cup Final will also be live-streamed on MLS channels, including www.MLSsoccer.com.
The eMLS Cup finalists will win berths in the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup. The top 32 competitors in the Global Series Playoffs will advance to the FIFA eWorld Cup in August, where the winner will be crowned the undisputed FIFA 18 World Champion.
For more information on eMLS Cup, including participating clubs and player signings, visitwww.MLSsoccer.com.
PAX East is an annual festival that celebrates the gaming community with exhibits, panels, tournaments and more. For further details, visit http://east.paxsite.com.
Eligibility restrictions apply for EA SPORTS FIFA Global Series Playoffs. See official rulesfor details. Final terms and structure subject to change.
About MLS
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer features 23 clubs throughout the United States and Canada. The 23rd MLS season kicks off March 3. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers. EA has more than 300 million registered competitors around the world.
In fiscal year 2017, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.8 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as Madden NFL, The Sims™, EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Need for Speed™, Dragon Age™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available atwww.ea.com/news.
EA SPORTS, The Sims, Dragon Age, Plants vs. Zombies, Battlefield are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. and its subsidiaries. John Madden, NFL, and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.
