Serie A Gets in on ESports with FIFA

A brand new ESports tournament is set to hit Europe after the Serie A, in combination with marketing partner Infront Media, launched a brand new tournament for the FIFA game series.

The FIFA series is widely regarded as one of the most popular sports titles of all time. Their latest game, FIFA 20, reached 10 million worldwide players in October of last year.

Over the years, FIFA has been a staple of many football fans gaming collection. Only recently has the game delved into the world of ESports.

FIFA and Electronic Arts (EA) first introduced competitive online play in 2009 with their first iteration of the online game mode, ‘Ultimate Team’. Gamers could select any players to play in their sides against another gamer in an online match, with the best players earning promotion to higher divisions.

In FIFA 17, EA began looking to ESports and a more serious approach for online gaming with the introduction of ‘Weekend League’. Here, players would build squads as per usual, except it wasn’t just promotion on the line. Gamers could obtain better players as a result of performing better than everyone else.

Very quickly, EA and FIFA saw the market’s need for a competition to separate the best from the very best and ESports’ collaboration with FIFA began.

The Premier League, MLS and our own A-League have since jumped on board and teams from all of those competitions have registered players to represent their respective clubs in ESports leagues and competitions.

Now, the Serie A has also seen the potential in ESports and a tournament has been launched.

Qualification for the sport is limited to participants who are aged 16 and over, are willing to represent a Serie A top flight club such as Juventus, Inter Milan and AS Roma and they must play on the PlayStation 4 console.

Luigi De Siervo, Serie A Chief Executive has this to say regarding the announcement of the tournament.

“ESports are a phenomenon in continuous growth and expansion and represent one of the key sectors of business in sport.”

“We have the great opportunity to involve an increasingly broad and cross-sectional target, thus bringing us closer to the new generations. All fans will now be able to follow a new championship and the best will be able to represent their favourite team by challenging themselves with their gamepads.”

The ESports competitions, particularly those based around FIFA, have generated copious amounts of attention on popular video sharing platform YouTube and online streaming service Twitch.

FIFA has become a very niche area for people with large areas of reach on the aforementioned websites. Many ‘YouTubers’ have begun playing professionally and have attracted large amounts of fans as a result of their online exploits.

Many of these fans attempt to follow in the footsteps of these professional gamers and as a result, the attention generated for ESports and especially FIFA has spiked ever since ‘Weekend League’ was born.

Online play in the tournament will begin on Monday and Tuesday, with a Grand Final set for May later this year.

 

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Tim Cahill Backs Nardo as Startup Secures $1 Million Investment Round

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Image Credit: Ministry of Sport

Australian football icon Tim Cahill has joined sports technology platform Nardo as both an investor and strategic partner, helping the company close a $1 million pre-seed funding round aimed at accelerating international growth. The investment will support Nardo’s expansion into key markets including the United States, United Kingdom and Middle East.

Founded to simplify apparel and teamwear management for grassroots and semi-professional sporting organisations, Nardo’s platform streamlines the often-complex process of ordering, distributing and managing sportswear. The company believes its technology can reduce administrative burdens on clubs while improving efficiency across community sport.

Cahill’s involvement adds significant credibility to the venture. One of Australia’s most recognisable sporting figures, the former Socceroo has long advocated for the growth of grassroots football and community participation. His investment reflects growing confidence in sports technology solutions that address operational challenges faced by clubs and sporting organisations.

The announcement also highlights the increasing appetite for sports technology investment across Australia, with startups seeking to modernise everything from fan engagement and performance analysis to club administration and equipment management. For football in particular, where participation continues to grow nationwide, digital solutions aimed at supporting grassroots infrastructure are becoming an increasingly important part of the sport’s ecosystem.

As Nardo prepares for its next phase of expansion, Cahill’s backing provides both commercial support and industry expertise, positioning the company to pursue opportunities beyond the Australian market while maintaining a strong focus on serving community sport.

Alibaba Group allies with UEFA and UC3 as new strategic partner

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Image credit: Vitalii Vitleo / Shutterstock.com

Alibaba Group will become the global AI, Cloud Computing and E-Commerce Partner for the UEFA Euro 2028 tournament and UEFA men’s club competitions from 2027-2033.

 

Uniting two global giants

The partnership will see Alibaba position itself as a strategic partner for UEFA and UC3 at both club and international level.

As one of the world’s leading tech and e-commerce companies, Alibaba will team up with European football’s governing body to deliver exciting new ways of bringing fans closer to the game through innovate technologies.

“We are delighted to welcome Alibaba as a global partner for UEFA EURO 2028 and as a future partner of our men’s club competitions,” expressed UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin via media release.

“Together we can bring fans closer to the game in new and meaningful ways – making our competitions feel even more captivating, engaging and accessible, while preserving the traditions, emotions and spirit that define European football.”

Furthermore, Chairman of Alibaba Group, Joe Tsai, outlined how the company will pursue a shared vision with UEFA to unite fans from all over Europe and the entire world.

“We believe that football is a shared language around the world, and the unifying power of the game at all levels for all fans is the mission that brings Alibaba and UEFA together,” said Tsai via media release.

 

Where innovation meets tradition

Indeed, this is a partnership which is unique in its potential impact.

On one side is a global tech giant, capable of leveraging innovative e-commerce platforms and AI expertise. On the other, a governing body which oversees some of the most popular football competitions in the world.

It is an alliance which embodies the current and future state of the football landscape, which includes innovation and technology at the heart of its operations.

Tech platforms of the future, aligning with a sport of deep-rooted history and tradition.

We saw recently another partnership of a similar nature. Arsenal FC – one of the founding Premier League clubs and recent champions – announced a collaboration with Meta to create new ways of uniting fans beyond the 90 minutes on the pitch.

So, now that Alibaba Group, UEFA and UC3 will embark on their own collaboration in the coming years, fans of European football will see this tech-sport revolution up close as they continue to engage with – and enjoy – the sport they love.

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