The E-League 2020 season kicks off this weekend, and there’s a number of key storylines surrounding this campaign to follow as all the action unfolds.
With a brand new tournament format in place for season three the competition is set to go to the next level as each competitor fights for a place at the place FIFA eWorld Cup.
Read on to see all the key storylines ahead of the E-League 2020 season!
READ: Five key fixtures - E-League Match Day 1
Can Sydney make it three in a row?
On the back of Mark ‘FUTWIZ_Marko’ Brijeski’s Championship-winning performance in 2019 Sydney FC head into the 2020 E-League campaign with a chance to win their third title on the bounce.
Brijeski will be accompanied by Jamie ‘FUTWIZ Jamie’ O’Doherty on Xbox at the Sky Blues; O’Doherty is joining forces with Brijeski after spending the past two seasons at Adelaide United.
Both Brijeski and O’Doherty approach the competition with some velocity; they’re both professional players with esports team ‘FUTWIZ’, and are the only Australian duo to have both qualified for the eClub World Cup.
With Brijeski and O’Doherty forming a formidable partnership the Sky Blues could well be in for another successful season as they chase a three-peat of E-League Championships.
Pathway to FIFA eWorld Cup opens up for competitors
The E-League 2020 season will get underway on Saturday, February 15 with the stakes well and truly raised.
An announcement from EA Sports confirmed the E-League is now a legitimate pathway for competitors to book a spot at the FIFA eWorld Cup.
The E-League has become a League Qualifying Tournament II of the EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series which will result in the E-League 2020 Champion receiving 450 Global Series Points, an increase of 250 points from the 2019 campaign.
The alteration of the competition’s framework means there’s so much more on the line in 2020, and the players that rise highest to the challenge will reap great reward.
New format changes the game
With an exciting new season of E-League action about to unfold it was only fitting the tournament would follow an equally exciting new format to match.
A revamp from the previous two seasons has seen the E-League 2020 Season campaign transform into a two-day competition played over 11 rounds split on Saturday, February 15 and Saturday, March 7 at the ESL Studios in Sydney.
The E-League 2020 Finals Series will then be held on Saturday, 9 May 2020 at the newly developed Fortress Melbourne, the largest gaming and esports venue in the Southern Hemisphere.
With all the action boiling down to three match days, the way each competitor will approach the 2020 campaign will be different to anything we’ve seen in previous E-League instalments, making this campaign - and the way each player approaches it - more intriguing than ever.
Another Gomes joins the fray
His brother Marcus is an international esports star, and now 18-year-old Dillon Gomes has joined Perth Glory for E-League 2020 with the aim of following in his footsteps.
Marcus Gomes was the first professional esports player in Australian football; the Melbourne City Xbox player competed in the FIFA eWorld Cup Grand Finals in London in 2019 as well as the E-Leage 2019 Grand Final which he lost to Champion Brijeski.
Joining Glory to compete on PS4, Dillon Gomes is getting his first taste of action at the highest level in Australia, and will be eager to show the league he's more than ready to forge a similarly successful path in esports as his older brother has done before him.
All matches throughout the E-League 2020 Season and E-League 2020 Finals Series will once again be streamed on Twitch.
Click here - tickets are available now
Further details regarding the E-League can be found at a-league.com.au/e-league
Click here for more information regarding the FIFA eWorld Cup
To keep up to date on social media follow on Twitter @EleagueAus, Instagram @eleagueaustralia or Facebook @eleagueaustralia
E-League 2020 - EVENT DETAILS
What: E-League 2020 Season – Match Day 1
When: From 10.00am (AEDT) Saturday, 15 February 2020
Where: ESL Studios, 4/199 Parramatta Rd, Auburn NSW
About the E-League 2020
E-League 2020 Season - Match Day 1: Saturday, 15 February 2020 @ ESL Studios, Sydney
E-League 2020 Season - Match Day 2: Saturday, 7 March 2020 @ ESL Studios, Sydney
E-League 2020 Finals Series: Saturday, 9 May 2020 @ Fortress Melbourne
Key Points
- Each Hyundai A-League Club will have two representative competitors (1 x PS4 and 1 Xbox One)
- Each club will play against every other club once over 11 Rounds (two event days)
- Points during the regular season will be calculated based on the aggregate results over the two console legs (PS4 + Xbox One) for the points table to determine the E-League 2020 Premiers.
- Individual console results will then be used to determine the seedings structure for each console for the E-League 2020 Finals Series
- Each Fixture in the E-League 2020 Finals Series will be over two legs.
- The console winners will then play-off, over two-legs, for the title of E-League 2020 Champion
- The E-League 2020 Champion will receive 450 Global Series Points
E-League 2020 – Fixture Schedule
Match Day 1 - Saturday, 15 February 2020 |
Match Day 2 - Saturday, 7 March 2020 |
Round 1 |
Round 7 |
Adelaide United v Western Sydney Wanderers FC |
Melbourne City FC v Brisbane Roar FC |
Brisbane Roar FC v Wellington Phoenix |
Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United |
Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC |
Newcastle Jets v Western United FC |
Melbourne City FC v Perth Glory |
Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers FC |
Melbourne Victory v Newcastle Jets |
Sydney FC v Wellington Phoenix |
Western United FC -Bye |
Central Coast Mariners-Bye |
Round 2 |
Round 8 |
Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City FC |
Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory |
Perth Glory v Central Coast Mariners |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Newcastle Jets |
Sydney FC v Brisbane Roar FC |
Western United FC v Melbourne Victory |
Wellington Phoenix v Adelaide United |
Adelaide United v Melbourne City FC |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Western United FC |
Brisbane Roar FC v Central Coast Mariners |
Melbourne Victory-Bye |
Sydney FC-Bye |
Round 3 |
Round 9 |
Brisbane Roar FC v Western United FC |
Melbourne Victory v Central Coast Mariners |
Central Coast Mariners v Western Sydney Wanderers FC |
Newcastle Jets v Brisbane Roar FC |
Melbourne City FC v Wellington Phoenix |
Perth Glory v Adelaide United |
Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC |
Sydney FC v Western United FC |
Newcastle Jets v Perth Glory |
Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers FC |
Adelaide United -Bye |
Melbourne City FC-Bye |
Round 4 |
Round 10 |
Perth Glory v Melbourne Victory |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Sydney FC |
Sydney FC v Melbourne City FC |
Western United FC v Perth Glory |
Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners |
Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Brisbane Roar FC |
Brisbane Roar FC v Melbourne Victory |
Western United FC v Adelaide United |
Central Coast Mariners v Melbourne City FC |
Newcastle Jets-Bye |
Wellington Phoenix-Bye |
Round 5 |
Round 11 |
Central Coast Mariners v Adelaide United |
Western United FC v Wellington Phoenix |
Melbourne City FC v Western United FC |
Adelaide United v Sydney FC |
Melbourne Victory v Western Sydney Wanderers FC |
Brisbane Roar FC v Perth Glory |
Newcastle Jets v Wellington Phoenix |
Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets |
Perth Glory v Sydney FC |
Melbourne City FC v Melbourne Victory |
Brisbane Roar FC-Bye |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC -Bye |
Round 6 |
|
Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets |
|
Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory |
|
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Melbourne City FC |
|
Western United FC v Central Coast Mariners |
|
Adelaide United v Brisbane Roar FC |
|
Perth Glory-Bye |
E-League 2020 Finals Series
E-League 2020 Finals Series - Saturday, 9 May 2020 @ Fortress Melbourne |
|
Play-offs - Console |
|
Play-Off 1 (PO1) |
8 v 9 - First Leg |
8 v 9 - Second Leg |
|
Play-Off 2 (PO2) |
7 v 10 - First Leg |
7 v 10 - Second Leg |
|
Play-Off 3 (PO3) |
6 v 11 - First Leg |
6 v 11 - Second Leg |
|
Quarter Finals - Console |
|
Quarter Final (QF1) |
1 v (PO1) - First Leg |
1 v (PO1) - Second Leg |
|
Quarter Final (QF2) |
4 v 5 - First Leg |
4 v 5 - Second Leg |
|
Quarter Final (QF3) |
2 v (PO2) - First Leg |
2 v (PO2) - Second Leg |
|
Quarter Final (QF4) |
3 v (PO3) - First Leg |
3 v (PO3) - Second Leg |
|
Semi Finals- Console |
|
Semi Final 1 (SF1) |
Winner of QF1 v Winner of QF2 - First Leg |
Winner of QF1 v Winner of QF2 - Second Leg |
|
Semi Final 2 (SF2) |
Winner of QF3 v Winner of QF4 - First Leg |
Winner of QF3 v Winner of QF4 - Second Leg |
|
Console Final |
|
Final |
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2 - First Leg |
Winner of SF1 v Winner of SF2 - Second Leg |
|
E-League 2020 Grand Final |
|
GF |
Winner of PS4 Final v Winner of Xbox One Final - First Leg |
Winner of Xbox One Final v Winner of PS4 Final - Second Leg |
NOTE: Match details are subject to change without notice. Please visit www.a-league.com.au/e-league for updates.