Major League Soccer (MLS) and EA SPORTS FC Pro today revealed details for the upcoming eMLS 2024 season, which includes a new competitive platform and players for 22 clubs that represent the global growth of the league. The eMLS 2024 season marks the debut of EA SPORTS FC™ 24 as the exclusive platform for all eMLS matches and its inaugural season as part of a new era of esports with FC Pro. The competitive calendar will feature two marquee League Series events in February and March, concluding with the eMLS Cup on March 10 in Austin. In 2024, Inter Miami CF will be represented on the virtual pitch by John Kamel, the third eMLS athlete in Club history, who will be competing under the gamertag K1John.
Inter Miami will be entering its fourth competitive season in the eMLS. In the 2021 season, the club made it to the semifinals of the Last Chance Qualifier for the eMLS Cup, in 2022 Inter Miami qualified for its first broadcasted event, League Series 2 and made the Club’s first eMLS Cup Playoff appearance - winning its first matchup before facing elimination in the quarterfinals - and in 2023 the Club’s eMLS athlete competed in three LAN (local area network) events in League Series 1, League Series 2 and the Last Chance Qualifier for the 2023 eMLS Cup - highlighted by an impressive display by placing second in the group stage and advancing to the eMLS League Series 2 broadcast which was live streamed on MLS’s official Twitch and Twitter channels on the second day of competition. Show your support by following K1John on his Twitter, Twitch, Instagram and TikTok accounts as he represents the Club in the upcoming eMLS 2024 season, and catch all the action on the Club’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
“eMLS is excited to welcome new faces and have some of the world’s best return for the 2024 season,” said Jesse Perl, MLS VP of Brand Marketing. “Partnering with EA SPORTS FC Pro to bring the highest level of esports competition to North America is an important part of how MLS lives in culture and reaches our young, multicultural fans outside of the traditional gameday.”
The remote qualifiers and group stages of each League Series will be featured on each MLS club’s or player’s Twitch and YouTube channel, and fans can watch each event’s bracket on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/mls) and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/mls). Each league broadcast will showcase the top 12 remaining players and enhanced coverage for fans. The top two players within the eMLS Cup get direct bids to the FC Pro World Championship.
The season format will be as follows:
● eMLS League Series 1: The 2024 season kicks off on Feb. 16 with remote qualifiers followed by the group stage on Feb. 17 and bracket final on Feb. 18.
● eMLS League Series 2: The season continues March 1 with remote qualifiers, the group stage on March 2 and bracket final on March 3.
● eMLS Cup: The season will conclude in Austin, with the group stage on March 9 and the fan-facing live bracket final on March 10.
eMLS is excited to bring back an all-star commentary crew, including host Faizal Khamisa, play-by-play announcer and reigning Esports Awards Caster of the Year Dan Gaskin, and commentator Mike Labelle.
“It’s exciting to welcome eMLS to EA SPORTS FC Pro,” said Sam Turkbas, Senior Director & Commissioner, Football Esports, Electronic Arts. “eMLS League Series and Cup format deliver exciting action to viewers throughout their season, expanding fandom and interaction with MLS clubs through EA SPORTS FC. We are looking forward to hosting the eMLS Champion and runner-up at our inaugural FC Pro World Championship this year.”
Since the start of eMLS in 2018, the esports league continues to see annual increases in viewership and digital engagement. The 2024 season features a roster of notable partners, including TikTok, DoorDash, EA SPORTS and Avant.
All participating clubs have signed top talent including those listed below.
Atlanta United: Paulo “Paulo Neto” Neto | Nashville SC: Samuel “SaucySammy” Abraham |
Austin FC: Diogo "Diogo" Mendes | New England Revolution: João Afonso “JAFONSO” Vasconcelos |
CF Montréal: Alix “Loux” Largerie | New York City FC: Ollie “Ollelito” Arbin |
Charlotte FC: Gustavo “Gustavo” Nascimento | New York Red Bulls: Cormac “doolsta” Dooley |
Columbus Crew: Christian “Chris Lopez” Lopez | Orlando City SC: Youssef “yaboyoussef“ Aboyoussef |
D.C. United: Mohamed “KingCJ0” Diop | Philadelphia Union: Thiago Martin “ThiagoCapo12” Vazquez |
FC Dallas: Alan “AlanAvi” Avila | San Jose Earthquakes: Ben “BENR” Remez |
Houston Dynamo FC: Jordy “JordyReyes” Reyes | Seattle Sounders FC: George “GADAMOU10” Adamou |
Inter Miami CF: John “K1John” Kamel | St. Louis City SC: Niklas “NR7” Raseck |
Los Angeles Football Club: Pablo “Pabs” Georgakopoulos | Toronto FC: Christopher “Didychrislito” Holly |
Minnesota United: Ehsan “Lamps” Zakeri | Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Tosaint “eightysvn” Ricketts |
