The eChampions League has been one of the most exciting esports competitions since its inaugural year in 2019, but on FC24 it’s bigger than ever before. 

A brand new qualification format will see the participating players qualify through national esports FC Pro Leagues from across Europe, while the top eight clubs in the real world UCL Quarter-finals will also be represented by earning automatic places to the eChampions League Group stage.

This title’s tournament is set to take place over a full month in May, with the Grand Final being held as an epic live event in front of the biggest audience in eCL history in London on May 29 – just three days before the real-world UEFA Champions League final takes place at Wembley Stadium. 

New York City FC were the first winners of the competition after Didychrislito, who now represents Toronto FC, added his name to the winners list in 2019. That list now includes five names, with Team Gullit’s Emre Yilmaz becoming the latest competitor to lift the trophy last year, taking home $75,000 in prize money.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 eChampions League as we look to crown our next winner.

Previous eChampions League winners 

• Didychrislito - 2019

• Tekkz - 2020* (eCL Invitational Tournament) - No official trophy was awarded when Tekkz won the eCL Invitational Tournament, which was held in place of the cancelled 2020 eChampions League.

• OliverPN - 2021

• Nicolas99fc - 2022

• Emre Yilmaz - 2023

When does the eChampions League begin?

The eChampions League journey begins in February as players from Europe look to secure their place in the event by qualifying directly from leagues around the continent. 

The first stage of the competition will see players from around Europe fighting it out in the Group stage, with eight of those places represented by the eight real-world teams that have made it to the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals. 

Three live events will then take place in May as participants navigate their way through the Group stage (May 11 and May 12) and Knockout stage (May 18 and May 19), before the Grand Final on May 29.

Who has qualified?

The road to the eChampions League has started, as Europe’s finest FC Pro Players begin to qualify for one of the most highly-anticipated competitions on the FC Pro calendar.

Here are the teams that have qualified so far:

• Tekkz & Bonanno (Manchester City)

• Jayden Groden & Marc Marley (Brighton & Hove Albion)

• Phzin & Levi De Weerd (Ajax)

• Manu Bachoore & Emre Yilmaz (PSV Eindhoven)

• Kossu72 (FC Oulu)

• Seron (AC Sparta Praha)

• Hezers (AC Monza Team eSports)

• Luco Negua (Torino FC eSports)

• DaniPitbull (Juventus Dsyre)

• ExeedVirgil_ (Fiorentina eSports )

• JP Sleator (UCD AFC)

• Jonny (SC Paderborn 07)

• Umut (RBLZ Gaming)

• LevyFinn (RBLZ Gaming)

• Marc_LDW23 (Bayer Leverkusen)

• Brandsha (FC Hamrun)

• Fouma (FC Lorient)

• Montaxer (FC Lorient)

• Dylo (Olympique Lyonnais)

• Leks (Olympique Lyonnais)

• Neat (Real Valladolid)

• Nicolas99fc (Sevilla FC)

• DFernandes (Cadiz CF)

• NachoAbella (Real Oviedo)

• Rikhard11 (FC Famalicão)

• Jorjewin (Levski Sofia)

• Ivanilsonlpvm (Progrès Niederkorn)

• Domasas (Esporto A Lyga)

• Ekmenn94 (Club Brugge)

• AndreasAa (Raufoss)

• Neerven (Raków Częstochowa)

• Riptorek (Jagiellonia)

• xThomas_om (FC Bayern Munchen)

• BVB Feldman (Borussia Dortmund)

• AndoniiPM (Atletico Madrid)

• NKantee (PSG)

• Isopowerr (Fenerbache)

Check back here for more updates on which teams will be competing in this year’s tournament.

Who is taking part?

Players from all over Europe are set to compete in this year’s eChampions League, with partner leagues handed a number of qualifying seats. Below is a list of all the leagues that will be represented in the competition and how many qualifying spots they have available.

Tournament Format

Once all seats have been claimed through the domestic qualifying leagues, the eChampions League Group stage will officially kick off with the first of three live events. The Group stage will take place across two days on May 11 and May 12 from ‘Exhibition’ in London.

A round-robin format will be used as we move away from the popular Swiss stage to replicate the real UEFA Champions League, with the best 24 players moving through into the Knockout stage.

The Knockout stage will also be held at ‘Exhibition’ in London just one week later on May 18 and May 19, when the final 24 will return to compete for a place in the Grand Final via a single elimination bracket format. Only eight places are available, which means players will be required to earn a minimum of two victories against the strongest competitors in the competition so far. 

The final eight will book their place to the Grand Final, where they will contend for the eChampions League trophy on May 29. London venue ‘Magazine’ is set to host the Grand Final, which will also include a live audience. 

A single elimination bracket format will be used to allow one game at a time to take place on the main stage, with three matches standing between participants and the Champions League crown, which was won last year by Team Gullit pro Emre Yilmaz.

The Draft

Just like in the FC Pro Open, the eChampions League will also feature the FC Pro Draft. This will introduce UCL-themed squad building requirements, requiring competitors to work within a set in-game budget based on transfer market values to choose UEFA Champions League Ultimate Team™ player items for their roster.

Kicking off with the Group stage, the eChampions League FC Pro Draft will allow players to flex their football knowledge and creativity as they look to continuously build and adapt their squads on the road to the eCL Finals.

Viewership Rewards and New Items

Viewership rewards are back for the eChampions League, with season progress xp, packs, players, and vanity items all up for grabs by watching the stream and completing challenges. Ensure you have linked your EA account to the relevant platform so you don’t miss out. 

You can earn your viewership rewards by keeping up with all of the action on our official Twitch and Youtube platforms which will stream all three eChampions League events across May.

Be sure to also keep an eye out for posts via our official X page, where we will drop players' official draft selections and the latest requirements, which will also give you the chance to build your own. Our broadcast talent team will also be taking a look at some of the drafts sent in during the event livestreams. 

You can also join the discussion as we explore the custom tactics of the participants at the eChampions League, as well as all of the latest FC24 meta strategies.