West Ham United will be represented in the inaugural ePremier League China later this month as all 20 top-flight English clubs are represented in the football gaming competition.
The ePremier League China is the first ePremier League event to be staged outside of the United Kingdom, and will see some of the best Chinese gamers on EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 don club apparel to compete alongside hand-picked content creators and influencers.
The group stages of the competition will kick off on Wednesday 28 April, with West Ham’s representatives drawn in Group A to take on those of London rivals Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Aston Villa.
Matches will be played on EA SPORTS FIFA Online 4 (FO4) on PC, which has more than
10 million registered players in China, home to one of the world’s most competitive and engaged Esports audiences.
Each of the 20 Premier League clubs will be represented in the tournament by two local players – one high-ranking gamer on the FO4 leader board and one influencer, with West Ham’s yet to be announced.
This collective cohort will include famous esports commentator Guan Zeyuan and the well-known FIFA Online influencer Shen Rongjie.
Each club’s representatives will be playing with players from their club, with players enhanced across teams to ensure a level playing field for all clubs. In the UK edition of the ePremier League, players could include any Premier League player in their team.
Group-stage matches will be played online, whereas knockout matches – which will take place on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 May – will be played offline at Wisdom Bay in Shanghai.
The ePremier League China has been launched by the Premier League in partnership with Tencent Sports, Tencent Gaming and EA SPORTS.
Premier League Commercial Director, Will Brass said: “After three successful ePremier League seasons in the UK, it is exciting to now be able to take this overseas for the first time and particularly to China – a hotbed for gaming and football.
“We are looking forward to working closely with EA SPORTS and our broadcast partner Tencent Sports to showcase some of the world’s best gamers in action.
“I am sure it will prove popular with the loyal and passionate supporters of Premier League clubs in China.”
The tournament is being broadcast on Tencent Sports, Tencent Video and Tencent News. It will also be available on Huya, Douyu and Yizhibo.
While we still await the reveal of the Club’s representatives, every fan and player of West Ham Esports division will be backing the two players in Claret and Blue with a fervent ‘Come On You Irons!’
For more exciting FIFA 21 and gaming content, follow the official @WestHamEsports accounts on Twitter and Instagram.
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