Manchester City team up with Battlefy for US esports tournament

Manchester City FC have teamed up with eSports platform Battlefy for the launch of a new digital tournament.

The inaugural Man City FIFA 17 Cup will be the first ever soccer eSports tournament hosted by a European club in the US.

The competition will coincide with City’s 2017 USA pre-season tour, which is supported by Visit Abu Dhabi.

US fans are being invited to put their gaming skills to the test through Battlefy until this Thursday (June 29), for a chance to fly to Houston and join the Blues on their 2017 USA pre-season tour, where they can win signed merchandise and meet their favourite players.

The tournament, hosted on both PS4 and Xbox One, will see players completing a minimum of 15 games and ranked by winning percentage.

After the preliminary stage, the top 128 players per platform will qualify for best-of-three playoffs taking place on July 1 and 2.

The two overall winners per console will then face off in Houston on July 19, where the Man City FIFA 17 Cup champion will be crowned before the Manchester City vs Manchester United game the next day.

Diego Gigliani, senior vice president of media and innovation at City Football Marketing, part of club owner City Football Group, said: “This is a natural evolution for Manchester City.

“We’ve been very involved with our partner, EA Sports, and the game FIFA for some time.”

He continued: “As eSports continues to gain momentum, it makes sense for Manchester City to be part of the action and get closer to our fans, who love playing FIFA as Manchester City.

“The Man City FIFA 17 Cup is a unique opportunity for us to engage a new audience and provide a genuine integration between eSports and traditional sport.”