NIVEA Men has been announced as the naming rights partners for the SPORTS FIFA21 E-League in 2021
The 2019 FIFAe World Cup welcomed more than 47 million viewed across online platforms and in 2020, the FIFA21 Challenge became EA Sports’ most watched esports event. The event drove an average minute audience of more than 254,000 and a total watch time of more than 1 million hours.
This April, some of Australia’s best-known EA SPORTS FIFA21 competitors will vie to call their clubs champions across both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – all of it underpinned by a new sponsorship deal, with NIVEA Men signing on as naming rights partners.
Newcomers Macarthur FC join for the first time, and two winners of the tournament will enter the EA SPORTSTM FIFA21 Oceania Regional Playoff which serves as a direct qualifier for the FIFAe World Cup.
A high-profile commentary line-up featuring YouTube stars JarradHD and TheMasterBucks and esports analyst Nate Patrick and Treaders will bring viewers all the action on the free streaming platform Twitch.
Current NIVEA Men E-League competitors Marcus Gomes (MarcusGomesFIFA) and Mark Brijeski (Atlantide Marko) have both tested themselves at previous global FIFA eWorld Cups, while Negede Hunegnaw (ANezer) and Dylan Campbell (DW_Dylan) took out the FIFA 20 Summer Cup Oceania which ran as a regional competition due to COVID-19.
The eleven-round tournament over the two days will see competitors playing from their own homes for the first time because of COVID-19 restrictions and in line with EA SPORTS FIFA 21 Global Series tournament guidelines.
“We are really excited to bring the NIVEA Men E-League back for our fans because we know they love football 24/7 and esports is a big part of that,” said APL chief commercial officer Ant Hearne.
“The new format is designed to be super-competitive, especially when we have some of Australia’s top players involved and more teams taking part.
“The numbers show that around the world esports is the fastest-growing spectator sport – our fans connect with football in all different aspects of their lives, and we know that gaming is a key part of that.”
The defending NIVEA Men E-League Premiers, Mark Brijeski (Atlantide Marko) and Jamie O’Doherty (FUTWIZ Jamodo) will return to represent Sydney FC.
Other big names in the tournament are Marcus Gomes (MarcusGomesFIFA) at Melbourne City FC, Ryan Naylor (Naylor) from the Newcastle Jets, Negede Hunegnaw (ANezer) from the Western Sydney Wanderers FC and last season’s breakout competitor Dylan Campbell (DW_Dylan) from Western United FC.
