The Canadian Premier League recently announced the launch of eCPL Home To Play, a free weekly show airing on Fridays for fans of the CPL and the FIFA 20 video game to enjoy, as they watch CPL players and top FIFA 20 gamers compete live against one another in a special tournament.
Both Marco Bustos (Pacific FC) and Erik Zetterberg (FC Edmonton) told CanPL.ca they’ll be looking to shake things up for Week 2, after they fell short in last week’s tournament opener.
Although they’re two of only four players in the tournament to have actually been in a FIFA game (Bustos had a rating of 60 in FIFA 18, and Zetterberg was rated 54 in FIFA 17), neither managed to translate that success.
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The first round in Week 2 features some derby matches, with FC Edmonton taking on Cavalry FC and York9 FC playing Forge FC. As well, HFX Wanderers take on their closest geographical adversaries in Atlético Ottawa, while Bustos takes on his former team in Valour FC.
How does the eCPL Home To Play tournament work? Good question.
Here’s what you need to know…
How will the eCPL Home To Play tournament unfold?
Eight CPL players and eight of Canada’s best gamers will come together to hang out, have a weekly conversation and team up to play FIFA 20 every Friday in April starting at 6:00p.m. ET.
Each week will be a knockout tournament where the winning team will advance to the eCPL Home To Play finals on April 24. After the first three weekly winners are determined, a fourth spot in the eCPL Home To Play finals will be granted to a wildcard team.
Each stage of the weekly tournament will be a two-legged matchup, with CPL players taking on FIFA 20 gamers as their teammates. In the first leg of every match-up, two CPL players will play each other, and in the second leg, two FIFA gamers will play each other. The winning team will be determined by the final aggregate score
Atlético Ottawa won Week 1 of the tournament, defeating HFX Wanderers FC in the final to advance to the eCPL Home to Play finals on April 24.
What’s the schedule for the eCPL Home To Play tournament?
The matchups will be announced in the days leading up to the weekly Friday tournament.
The schedule for the Week 2 tournament on April 10 is as follows:
- Game #1, at 6 p.m. ET: HFX Wanderers FC (Christian Oxner and @TheMightyPed) vs. Atlético Ottawa (Malyk Hamilton and @Fist_Agitpower)
- Game #2, at 6 p.m. ET: Cavalry FC (Niko Giantsopoulos and @stopde_official) vs. FC Edmonton (Erik Zetterberg and @SibWolf__)
- Game #3, at 7 p.m. ET: Pacific FC (Marco Bustos and @Skills_Shack) vs. Valour FC (Dylan Carreiro and @Dillaphant)
- Game #4, at 7 p.m. ET:York9 FC (Max Ferrari and @feroze17) vs. Forge FC (Kwame Awuah and @GoalMachineFIFA)
- Semifinals #1, at 8 p.m. ET: Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2
- Semifinals #2, at 9 p.m. ET: Winner of Game #3 vs. Winner of Game #4
- Final, at 10 p.m. ET: Semifinal winner #1 vs. Semifinal winner #2
How do I watch the eCPL Home To Play tournament?
Fans will be able to tune in to see Canadian Premier League players compete on the CPL’s Twitch, YouTube and Facebook channels.
The event will be hosted by FIFA 20 celebrity gamers Chu ‘ChuBoi’ Mora (@chuboi) and Mike Labelle (@mikelabelle).
I'll be hosting the eCPL #HomeToPlay @EASPORTSFIFA Tournament over the next 4 weeks! ??@CPLsoccer players & Canada's best FIFA pros incl. @GoalMachineFIFA @Fist_agitpower + more play FIFA 20! ?
Friday at 6PM
More info: https://t.co/TMH4NPM90U pic.twitter.com/3iik5How02
— The Boi (@ChuBoi) April 1, 2020
From his FIFA beginnings as a community manager at EA SPORTS in Vancouver, to his current life as an Esports professional in Toronto, Chu ‘ChuBoi’ Mora is a trusted veteran of the FIFA scene.
Joining Chu every Friday will be co-host Mike Labelle, who first broke into the competitive FIFA scene by qualifying for the FIFA Interactive World Cup in 2006. He also enjoys the honour of having had his Le Cirque LaBelle goal celebration motion captured at EA headquarters in Vancouver and featured in FIFA 14.
How do the CPL players prepare for the eCPL Home To Play tournament?
Each week, a few CPLers will be selected to take on CPL fans across the country in warm-up games prior to Friday’s event.
Check out how Atlético Ottawa’s Malyk Hamilton made out this week when he challenged CPL fans in preparation for Week 2 of the eCPL Home To Play tournament:
Watch eCPL Training with Malyk Hamilton from eCPL on www.twitch.tv
What’s the purpose of the eCPL Home To Play tournament?
As a way to connect with the CPL and FIFA esports community in the midst of both seasons being on pause, the eCPL Home to Play tournament aims to connect fans with players in a coast-to-coast hangout every Friday night on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.
Does the eCPL Home To Play tournament have its own website?
Yes, it does!
To visit the official eCPL Home To Play tournament, CLICK HERE