Uefa has begun exploring the possibility of launching an official esports tournament to coincide with the 2020 European Championships, in a move indicative of the strengthening ties between traditional sports and their electronic counterparts.
European football’s governing body has invited expressions of interest from firms with track records in the creation, organisation and operation of esports events. Selected applications will then be sent a formal request for proposal, with a October 10 deadline for official bid submissions ahead of a October 15 presentation to Uefa in Nyon, Switzerland.
The tournament would take the form of a series of online qualifiers before a physical finals event in 2020 – likely to be held in London, which will host the semi-finals and the final of the pan-continental European Championship that year.
The move follows the growing success of Fifa’s own eWorld Cup, the latest edition of which concluded last month in London after attracting over 20 million entrants.
