Ice hockey fans to compete on Playstation and Xbox One

9 May 2020

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF will launch in cooperation with Infront Sports & Media and eSport Studio the “IIHF eSports Fan Championship” on May 15, which will allow fans from the 16 nations that were qualified for the 2020 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship to represent their country in a digital tournament that will be played in EA Sports NHL 20 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The first phase of the game will consist of qualification tournaments that will be run online from May 15 till May 22. Once a national PlayStation 4 and Xbox champion has been chosen, both will compete in a play-off phase that will begin on May 29, with a champion crowned on June 5. The playoff tournament will be streamed live on the IIHF's Twitch channel. Both the national champions and the play-off finalists will have the chance to win prize money, hockey merchandise and 'money can't buy' VIP-experiences. 

Fans around the world will also be able to follow the action on the IIHF’s social media channels. The official eSport Fan Championship website, where fans will be able to register themselves to participate in the tournament went online on May 8.

"We very much value our partnership with Infront as, thanks to its growing expertise in eSports, we are able to bring ice hockey action to fans' homes in a new and engaging manner. We look forward to seeing the fans create their own destiny and become stars of the virtual tournament by representing their home nation”, René Fasel, IIHF President, said.

"The IIHF Esports Fan Championship is a perfect example of how to leverage the potential of esports in the current situation and deliver a product that fans can get passionate about. Infront is proud to jointly work with the IIHF and eSport Studio, introducing such a promising project in such a short space of time”, André Fläckel, Infront's Head of Gaming & Esports, added.