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It all began at Leyton Orient of all places, but now there are a host of online soccer tournaments springing up involving some of the world's top players, clubs and leagues in lieu of the real thing.
Thousands of competitors are going head to head on FIFA 20 and PES 2020, with some big names also pitching in to help aid the fight against the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down football and most other aspects of normal life across the globe.
Euro 2020 postponed until next year? No problem, watch it play out online right now! Missing La Liga, the Bundesliga and MLS? Fear not! There are esports versions being played out across a host of social networks.
- Stream ESPN FC, 30 for 30 Soccer Stories and much more on ESPN+
- FIFA's bold plan to handle a looming transfer crisis
Here's our comprehensive guide to the best of the quarantine-friendly competitions taking place at the moment.
UEFA eEURO 2020
When: Playoffs on April 20 and 27, final tournament on May 3-4
Who: 10 nations have already qualified (Bosnia & Herzegovina, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, and Serbia) while the final six will be decided via playoffs.
Why: Champions will win tickets to the final of the actual UEFA European Championships next year as well as a cash prize.
Where: Matches will be streamed live on UEFA's official YouTube channel.
Why should I care?: UEFA's grand PES 2020 tournament boasts the distinction of being the largest "efootball" international competition ever staged, with 55 nations originally entering into the preliminary rounds.
As things stand, some 10,000 gamers have taken part, while streamed content from the tournament (including the draws) has been viewed by over two million people.
Also, with the real thing postponed until 2021, this is as close to a European Championship you'll be getting for a while.
Friday Night FIFA
Not my night. You're up next @nowellsy15 ? #FridayNightFIFA https://t.co/X1vZ9TlqAf pic.twitter.com/S585hGF0w4
— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@trentaa98) April 3, 2020
When: First instalment was on Friday, April 3
Who: Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold challenged Manchester City's professional esports player Ryan Pessoa to a duel on FIFA 20.
Why: Straight-up bragging rights and general entertainment.
Where: Live on Pessoa's Twitch channel, while fans were encouraged to submit questions for both players before kick-off via Pessoa's Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Why should I care? Digitally representing the two top teams in the Premier League, Liverpool's Alexander-Arnold and City's Pessoa have struck up a friendship in real life after both signing up as official brand ambassadors of an energy drink (Red Bull).
The pair faced off in a best-of-three battle, and Trent got off to an encouraging start by holding his elite opponent to a 2-2 draw in the opener. But Pessoa's class eventually won through, as he won the next to matches by an aggregate score of 6-1.
However, this may not be the end of the Pro/Am clashes, with Trent then suggesting Exeter rugby player Jack Nowell avenge his defeat.
Combat Corona
IT'S CONFIRMED! ?⚽️
We'll be live on @Twitch this Sunday from 4PM GMT.
➖Competitive matches
➖Q&A's
➖Prizes
➖Giveaways
➖& more.Let's raise some money to #CombatCorona ?https://t.co/pbVmJVb7CY pic.twitter.com/uJxL626vWf
— #CombatCorona (@combatcorona) April 1, 2020
When: Begins on April 5
Who: Some big-name contenders have already been announced, with Gareth Bale and Paulo Dybala in the mix for the FIFA 2020 tournament.
They will be joined by fellow pros Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount, Jordan Pickford, Daniel James, Billy Gilmour, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Luke Shaw and Kieran Tierney.
Why: Funds raised will be donated to UNICEF to aid in the fight against Coronavirus.
Where: The first games get underway live on Twitch from 4 p.m. GMT.
Why should I care?: A host of bona fide professional footballers going head to head in the virtual sphere is bound to pull the punters in -- and the more donations made, the more money will be raised for a worthy cause.
It's also a great chance to see which of the real footballers are good at FIFA and which are utterly hopeless.
All At Home Gaming Cup
When: The first tournament on Sunday April 5, then every Saturday until April 25.
Who: Organised by Paris Saint-Germain, weekly winners will advance to face the likes of Layvin Kurzawa, Julian Draxler, Juan Bernat and PSG's own esport FIFA pro, DaXe.
Why: As well as the chance to play against a PSG star, there are a variety of prizes up for grabs including match tickets, meet and greets, luxury hotel stays in Paris, and various other signed club merchandise.
Where: The pro finals will all be broadcast on PSG's social channels and live on beIN SPORTS.
Why should I care?: The main aim of the tournament is to help reinforce medical and government advice for everybody to stay at home and look after each other during the lockdown.
The All At Home Cup will also feature a "goal of the tournament" poll which will be open to public voting, allowing everybody to play their part.
Bundesliga Home Challenge
Some tasty encounters coming up on MD2 of the #BundesligaHomeChallenge ?
This weekend we're welcoming four newcomers, including a referee team ?? pic.twitter.com/1xx3YOLgP8
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) April 3, 2020
When: The second round of the tournament takes place on April 4-5.
Who: 29 teams from the top two divisions of German football, as well as a referee's team.
In most cases, each club will be represented by one of their senior pros as well as another member of staff.
Why: Designed to enforce the message to stay at home and isolate during the Coronavirus outbreak, the Bundesliga hope to provide some entertainment to help keep cabin fever at arm's length.
Where: All games are streamed on Bundesliga.com and via the Bundesliga's official YouTube account.
Why should I care?: Because who wouldn't want to see professional players try to get their revenge on a team consisting entirely of referees?
eMLS Friendly Series
We all have friends like Alan Pulido ??
(he might even act like you ?)"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL" ~ @alanpulido pic.twitter.com/yVGiy5AhIF
— ? Major League Soccer (@eMLS) April 2, 2020
When: In progress
Who: The eMLS are hosting and organising a series of FIFA 20 friendlies between players from actual rival MLS clubs.
Why: Just for fun.
Where: Games are being streamed live on Twitch. Check the eMLS Twitter account for details.
Why should I care?: Because they may be calling them friendlies but that doesn't mean the players are taking these encounters lightly.
Take a recent clash saw Alan Pulido (of Sporting KC) and Oswaldo Alanis (San Jose Earthquakes) for instance. Pulido celebrated scoring a goal against his fellow Mexico international so loudly that the latter could probably hear it from his living room in San Jose.
- Stream ESPN FC, 30 for 30 Soccer Stories and much more on ESPN+
- A letter from the great quarantine: Missing football, pasta and friendship
La Liga FIFA 20 tournament
¡Enhorabuena, madridistas! ?
? El @realmadrid de @marcoasensio10 se proclama campeón de #LaLigaSantanderChallenge ?
Y lo más importante: ¡Más de 140.000€ recaudados! ? pic.twitter.com/pDsY9WTufi
— eLaLiga Santander (@esportslaliga) March 22, 2020
When: Ended on March 22.
Who: The tournament was organised, hosted and commentated on by Spanish YouTuber Ibai Llanos, with real players turning out in droves to represent their teams.
After battling through to the grand finale, Marco Asensio saw off the challenge of Leganes' Aitor Rubial to lift the trophy for Real Madrid.
Why: All 20 La Liga teams were invited to enter in a bid to help raise cash to fight the Covid-19 outbreak in Spain. At last count, over €140,000 had been collected in donations.
Where: Games were streamed live on YouTube
Why should I care?: The inaugural tournament may be done and dusted with Los Blancos taking the honours, but there are rumours about a second "season" being prepared, so stay tuned...
- Stream new episodes of ESPN FC Monday to Friday on ESPN+ (U.S.)
eLiga MX
La pasión se vive de muchas maneras... ¿Están listos?#TuCasaTuCancha #SienteTuLiga #eLIGAMX pic.twitter.com/EmlqcydzQw
— #LigaBBVAMX #TuCasaTuCancha (@LigaBBVAMX) April 7, 2020
When: Begins on April 8-9.
Who: Each of the 18 clubs in Liga MX will be represented by a team of at least two players from their 2020 Clausura squads.
View this post on InstagramMatchday! Tous au poste pour la bonne cause les amis! ?????? Lien en bio pour faire un don! Les hôpitaux parisiens en ont grand besoin! @gamersducoeur @esportstadium @lequipe #restezchezvoustrophy
Why: Liga MX has been shut down since March 15 due to the Coronavirus outbreak, so the league will be restarting in digital form to offer fans pining for football an alternative.
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Matchday! Tous au poste pour la bonne cause les amis! ?????? Lien en bio pour faire un don! Les hôpitaux parisiens en ont grand besoin! @gamersducoeur @esportstadium @lequipe #restezchezvoustrophy
Why: Liga MX has been shut down since March 15 due to the Coronavirus outbreak, so the league will be restarting in digital form to offer fans pining for football an alternative.
Where: Games may be broadcast live on TV, otherwise highlights will be posted online.
Why should I care?: With the real thing on ice, the e-league competition will mirror the 2020 Clausura season as closely as possible -- i.e, a full regular season and then a playoff to decide the champion.
It'll be like Mexican football never went away.
Restez Chez Vous Trophy
"Quarantine champions, you'll never sing that!" ?
Congratulations @Fifilza7 & @WolvesEsports, #UltimateQuaranTeam champions!
?? pic.twitter.com/FcnZs8nYAW
— Wolves (@Wolves) April 6, 2020
When: An initial tournament will take place between April 2-9 with the winner facing the winner of a second tournament (April 10-12) to be crowned overall champion.
Who: The FIFA 20 charity tournament has been organised by French tennis professional Nicolas Mahut, with Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Meunier and Valencia's Kevin Gameiro among a whole host of sporting stars set to take part.
Why: Funds raised by the competition will be donated to charities supporting hospitals and medical workers in Paris.
Where: Mahut has set up his own page, from where you can access the games.
Why should I care?: Amateur gamers will be rubbing shoulders with professional athletes in the middle of the esports arena with special prizes (signed tennis rackets, video games, etc) up for grabs.
Indeed, L'Equipe reports that around more than 1,000 participants will be entering, so it may well end up being a truly epic affair.
Ultimate Quaran-Team
When: First instalment finished on April 6.
Who: Initiated by English third-tier club Leyton Orient as a means of keeping boredom at bay during the lockdown, this international FIFA 20 tournament is the original trailblazer.
Why: As well as staving off tedium in the absence of football, the Quaran-Team competition has already raised well over half of its £100,000 fundraising goal.
The money raised will be split between the EFL (to help keep struggling clubs afloat) and two worthwhile charities in MIND and the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, run by the World Health Organisation.
Where: Most matches are streamed live on YouTube.
Why should I care?: If the pun in the name isn't enough to get you hooked then the rollercoaster drama will definitely lure you in.
We've had upsets galore, epic clashes, dramatic late winners, incredible 10-goal whitewashes and Blackburn Rovers midfielder Bradley Dack getting himself sent off while playing as Bradley Dack.
Out of the 128 clubs that entered, Premier League side Wolves were the last team standing, beating Dutch outfit Groningen 2-1 in the final.
Source: espn.co.uk