If you live in Europe right now, you will definitely be well aware of the fact that Euro 2020 has been taking place for the last few weeks. The European Championship is the second biggest football tournament in the world, behind only the FIFA World Cup. Diehard and casual football fans alike have been joining together to watch the games and cheer on their country. Many have also been placing wagers on the tournament including everything from the outcomes of each match to which player will be the top goalscorer of Euro 2020.
Unlike in previous years, Euro 2020 has been scheduled to take place across the continent, with 11 different cities in as many countries sharing the hosting duties. This means games have been taking place simultaneously in Copenhagen and Saint Petersburg, London and Glasgow, and Bucharest and Budapest.
One other key difference is the fact that this year, the competition will take place alongside an esports event. Known as eEURO 2021, it is intended to mimic the main tournament and provide a way to reach new football fans through video games.
But what is eEURO 2021 and does it have much in common with the real-life tournament?
What is eEURO 2021?
eEURO 2021 is an esports tournament that features all 55 of UEFA’s member football associations. It has been designed to mimic the format of the Euro 2020 tournament as closely as possible, with the same match structure that involves qualification, a group stage, and then a knockout round to decide an overall winner.
It will be played on the KONAMI video game eFootball PES 2021 Season Update. This football simulation game is the successor to the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise that was first made in 1995.
The game includes updated team rosters for all 55 countries that were eligible for Euro 2020.
eEURO 2021 was organised after the success of eEURO 2020, which was won by Italy and watched by 15 million fans.
How Does eEURO 2021 Work?
Each of UEFA’s 55 members are represented in eEURO 2021, including major footballing nations like England, France, Italy, and Spain. Each team can have between two and four gamers, which were decided upon through domestic tournaments.
A draw was then used to decide which teams would be included in each of the ten qualification groups. Each team played two others in the group, with the top-scoring team in each group automatically qualifying. Runners up were then able to qualify through a play-off stage.
The final tournament, just like we see in Euro 2020, is being hosted in London just a few days before the final of the real-life final.
What Are eEURO 2021 Games Played On?
Like last year’s competition, eEURO 2021 games are played on PlayStation 4 consoles. Each one will be loaded with a retail version of KONAMI’s eFootball PES 2021 Season Update. This is essentially the same game as eFootball 2020 but with updates to teams and players.
How Good is eFootball PES at Replicating Real-Life Football?
Some video games are better than others at replicating real-life sports. That’s not a criticism of the games themselves, but the simple fact that physical sports like football are different to playing a football video game.
Competitors in the official Formula 1 Esports Series have skills much closer to the drivers on the F1 grid because they use steering wheels and pedals that mimic a real car.
Aside from this element, eFootball PES does a great job of recreating everything else that goes with a football match. The graphics are very close to real life, the physics match that which you’d expect to see on the pitch, and the sound effects do a good job of making it feel like you’re playing in front of a real crowd.
Making a direct comparison is perhaps unfair, but viewed on its own merits, eEURO 2021 is an engaging and fun form of competition that’s likely to attract millions of viewers again this year as it did last.
Where and When Can I Watch eEURO 2021?
eEURO 2021 is available to watch online for free via UEFA’s YouTube channel and its website. The esports tournament will take place in London between 8th and 10th July 2021. The group stages, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will all take place over just three days, unlike Euro 2020 which spans an entire month.
This is a paid guest post.