The football and eSports sectors are becoming more and more intertwined in a range of different ways and has only shown signs of being able to grow and become even bigger than it has already managed to.
The world of eSports has managed to achieve huge numbers of growth over the recent years by itself, however with football being one of the most popular sports and video games based on the game, such as FIFA, PES and Football Manager, it is no surprise that the two have managed to combine together in a relationship that was made to match.
Indeed, football and gaming have never really been too far away from each other as they are both extremely competitive and each game will aim for players to come out the best.
If there was ever any doubt about how much football and eSports have become intertwined, then all you would need to do is to look at all the betting offers that have been made available on games such as FIFA, PES and Football Manager.
In addition, there are a number of websites that will offer punters a number of betting tips for the actual sport, as well as the video game version that is being played all around the world in huge tournaments that are being streamed and broadcasted live to those who may have placed a wager on the action.
As mentioned, FIFA and PES are two titles that have been amongst the most popular titles when it comes to football video games as these games have managed to attract a number of players throughout their history after having been made available on each and every single PlayStation, Xbox and many other platforms each year. In addition, it will have helped that the sport has a truly global appeal as it is the world’s favourite sport and most-watched.
Esports, though, has only further highlighted the competitive nature of these games as although tournaments were happening all around the world and players were competing against each other online to be the number one player, the competitions have since got even bigger and have also become potentially lucrative for those who continue to prove that they are the best.
For instance, an ePremier League, FIFA eWorld Cup and a PES League to have been created in recent years that has allowed casual gamers to get as close as they can to being a footballer, as many football clubs will now sign a player and form teams and use them to try and compete to be the best team.
Those that are chosen are within a chance of being able to obtain some huge rewards if they are successful in managing to get to a final and winning a tournament that they compete in, with players having to go on and compete in leagues, knockout rounds and promotion playoffs; just as a real footballer would.
Teams to have established a club within eSports include Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax as well as 5-time Champions League winners Barcelona, Portuguese historical team Boavista F.C., French sides AS Monaco and FC Nantes, Scottish Champions Celtic, and German side Schalke 04 who have partnered up with the eFootball.pro league through their esports Pro Evolution Soccer team.
It is not just the well-established clubs who have decided to get involved within the eSports sphere, with teams from League Two in England having also jumped on the bandwagon in an attempt to get further exposure, as well as potentially be withing a chance of winning a title.
Will the two industries continue to be intertwined and grow further in the future, or will they stagnate at one point?
It would appear that the former of the two would be the right answer as it would have to be hard to ever see football declining in number, given the audience that it already attracts and the new generations coming through only likely going to embrace the game when they are exposed to it from a young age.
In addition, the gambling industry does not appear to be slowing down either, with eSports continuing to go through a huge boom and one that will likely appeal to the generations coming through now and beyond when they reach the legal age to bet.
Football is a part of the culture for many across the world, whilst playing video games is something almost every child to have grown up over the last three decades and in the future, therefore having a significant appeal and a level of engagement that will only be far greater than it is now.
