What is the ePremier League and how do I qualify in FIFA 21?

The ePremier League is back for another season, with all 20 Premier League clubs taking part once again.

Each club will have an entrant on both PlayStation and Xbox and entry is open to all United Kingdom residents over the age of 16.

The overall prize pool is £40,000 this season and the winners will also be able to qualify for the EA Sports FIFA 21 Global Series (FGS) European Playoffs.

The ePremier League is set to kick off on February 15, 2021 but registration and qualification begin in December and January ahead of the new season.

What is the ePremier League?

The ePremier League is the esports version of the Premier League, where all 20 current English top-flight teams compete in FIFA 21 to be crowned champion.

All 20 teams compete with the highest-ranking teams advancing to the ePremier League Finals which are scheduled to take place in spring 2021.

The ePremier League is part of the FIFA 21 Global Series and is open to gamers from the United Kingdom, who can register to represent their favourite team.

The first ePremier League was held in 2018 for FIFA players on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Despite the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X arriving in stores in 2020, the 2020-21 ePremier League season will remain on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

There is a prize pool of £40,000 available to the best-performing players in this season's ePremier League.

Who has won the ePremier League in the past?

The first ePremier League took place in 2018-19 and was won by Donovan ‘Tekkz’ Hunt who represented Liverpool's esports team.

The coronavirus pandemic meant that the 2019-20 ePremier League playoff finals could not be held as a live event, but was completed online where Thomas ‘Hashtag Tom’ Leese emerged victorious for Watford.

Leese defeated Bournemouth's Marc "MarcMarleyyy" Marley 2-1 on aggregate in the cross-console Grand Final, with one game taking place on each console.

"I would recommend the competition to FIFA players as ePL is a massive tournament with a lot of people watching," Leese told the ePremier League's official website.

"It also gives you the unique chance to try and represent your favourite Premier League team. And if you're looking to break into professional FIFA then this is the perfect opportunity for UK gamers to showcase their talent."

How do I register for the ePremier League?

Registration for the ePremier League opens on December 3 and will remain open until December 15.

You can register at https://e.premierleague.com from 5pm GMT on December 3.

Registration is open to anyone in the United Kingdom who plays FIFA 21 on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One and is over 16.

Each player who registers will be able to compete to represent their chosen Premier League club, with a representative for both PlayStation and Xbox being chosen for all 20 English top-flight clubs.

How do I qualify for the ePremier League?

Once you have registered for the ePremier League, you can qualify by playing online in FIFA 21 in January.

The qualification process opens on January 4 and ends on January 31.

Many of the players who qualify are professional esports players but the open nature of the competition means anyone can qualify to represent their club if their results are good enough.

"ePremier League is a great platform for players of all abilities and a real mix of competitors have progressed to the final stages of both tournaments so far," Premier League commercial director Will Brass said. 

"This includes some of the highest-ranked professional FIFA-gamers in the world and relatively inexperienced players who have proved they can take on the very best."

This season's qualifying tournament requires players to play in 90-rated Online Friendlies mode using their favoured Premier League club.

How do I watch the ePremier League?

This season's ePremier League Finals are set to take place in March or April 2021.

The ePremier League Finals will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK as well as on EA Sports' social media channels and on Twitch.

Over the past two seasons, over 22 million fans watched the ePremier League Finals on television or through streams.

What rewards do I get for watching the ePremier League?

If you fail to qualify for the ePremier League or are not eligible to enter, you can still benefit from keeping track of the competition.

Anyone who watches the ePremier League Finals on Twitch will be eligible to receive various rewards as the tournament progresses.

These include random drops of player packs or special Ultimate Team cards if you have linked your EA Sports account with your Twitch account.

As well as the random drops, FIFA Global Series Swap cards will also be awarded, which can be used in Squad Building Challenges to trade for various reward packs.