eChampions League 2025 preview: 36 competitors take on exciting new format

The eChampions League is back and it's bringing Europe's finest cohort of EA SPORTS FC players to Manchester, England, and Munich, Germany, to crown this year's winner.

FC players from across the world have competed in European league competitions for their place in this season's new-look eChampions League. Mirroring the format of the UEFA Champions League, this year’s eChampions League will bring a new level of excellence and excitement never seen before.

Meet the players

In 2024, the eChampions League was won by Jonny. He returns in 2025 after qualifying from the WOW Virtual Bundesliga, alongside VBL semi-finalist KKoray, 2025 league champion levyfinn and 2024 FC Pro World Champion Vejrgang.

From the ePremier League come four familiar faces. Back-to-back ePL Champions Tekkz and Bonanno return, joined by runners-up Marley and Jayden. All four qualified for 2024's eChampions League.

In Spain, LALIGA FC Pro saw nicolas99fc win another title and with it his place back in the eChampions League. Three others also qualified from LALIGA FC Pro; Resende, Emre Yilmaz and DFernandes.

Emre Yilmaz (left) takes on Riptorek in the 2024 eChampions LeagueUEFA

The eChampions League also welcomes back five-time eLigue 1 McDonald's champion Fouma, who qualified alongside his team-mate LJR Peixoto. eLigue 1 runner-ups Brice and Ilian have also qualified from France.

Other previous eChampions League entrants have made it back to Europe’s top competition, with the likes of Levi de Weerd, Giobundyy, JP Sleator and brandsha all making their return.

The final eChampions League spots were earned in Italy, with eSerie A Goleador adding the final four competitors to the 36. Seventeen-year-old Samugamer beat Danipitbull to win Italy's grand prize, but both finalists qualified, as did Luconegua and Karimisbak.

How the eChampions League works

The eChampions League will take place over three stages – the league phase, knockout phase and finals, with the number of participants decreasing at each stage as they're eliminated from the competition.

League phase (16-17 May from 17:00 CET)

In the league phase, all 36 players will compete under an exciting new format at Dock 10, Manchester, England, over two days. Kicking off at 17:00 CET, each day will consist of six rounds of nine matches to form a league table of all competitors. The bottom 12 players at the end of day two will lose their place in the competition.

Knockout phase (18 May from 17:00 CET)

In the knockout phase, the top eight players from the league phase progress directly to the round of 16. Those ranked 9-24 will compete in elimination play-off matches to determine who joins the top eight in the round of 16. The remaining FC players will then battle it out until the last eight are confirmed.

Finals (28 May from 18:30 CET)

The eight eChampions League finalists will compete in front of a live studio audience in Munich, Germany, at Eisbach Studios. The players will go head-to-head in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and grand final to crown the 2025 eChampions League winner.

Viewership and in-game rewards

FC fans will also receive rewards for tuning in to the eChampions League. To lock in these rewards, viewers should start by following the below steps:

1. Sign in to your EA account
2. Ensure your EA account is also connected to your YouTube or Twitch channels

And then follow this more detailed breakdown of how to unlock specific rewards: